Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Stock Holdings Lifted by Huntington National Bank

Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 155,355 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,267 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank's holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $18,414,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Prudential Financial by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. CGC Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 376.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 281 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PRU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Prudential Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "underperform" rating and a $101.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $126.08.

Prudential Financial Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:PRU traded up $2.90 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $98.68. 774,639 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,567,599. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.38 and a twelve month high of $130.55. The company has a market cap of $34.97 billion, a PE ratio of 13.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $111.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.44.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.47%. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total value of $635,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,869,090.56. The trade was a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 87,047 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.72 per share, for a total transaction of $2,499,989.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,499,989.84. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Prudential Financial Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments.