Natixis Purchases 40,593 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Natixis lifted its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 89.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,153 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,593 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $10,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 14,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,705,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Prudential Financial by 65.9% during 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 in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 420 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altman Advisors Inc. grew its position in Prudential Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 16,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 52,595 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.52 per share, with a total value of $1,500,009.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 139,987 shares in the company, valued at $3,992,429.24. The trade was a 60.18 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total transaction of $635,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,869,090.56. This represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of PRU stock traded up $1.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $101.61. 1,565,236 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,604,022. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.38 and a fifty-two week high of $130.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $107.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.56.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.31%. This is an increase from Prudential Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PRU shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $134.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $108.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an "underperform" rating and a $101.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Prudential Financial Company 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.