Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Has $4.55 Million Stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 22.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,845 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $4,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.1% during the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $951,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.2% during the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 1,110 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.97, for a total value of $133,166.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,220,694.75. This represents a 9.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 261,059 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $27.58 per share, for a total transaction of $7,200,007.22. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 4,208,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $116,071,781.42. This trade represents a 6.61 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

PRU stock opened at $124.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.53. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.32 and a 1 year high of $129.13.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.01. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.30% and a net margin of 6.03%. The company had revenue of $19.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.44 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is 46.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Prudential Financial from $116.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.69.

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.