Ramirez Asset Management Inc. Sells 8,805 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Ramirez Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 95.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,805 shares during the quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $45,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $122,778,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Prudential Financial by 1.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 42,502,160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,566,432,000 after buying an additional 600,482 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,552,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 209.2% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 520,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,871,000 after acquiring an additional 351,849 shares during the period. Finally, Algebris UK Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,298,000. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas D. Stoddard purchased 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $102.97 per share, with a total value of $25,742.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 250 shares in the company, valued at $25,742.50. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jacques Chappuis acquired 1,000 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $100.97 per share, for a total transaction of $100,970.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,970. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439 over the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PRU has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $126.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $115.00 to $103.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $115.00.

Prudential Financial Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of PRU stock opened at $97.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $33.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.98. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.38 and a 1 year high of $119.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.07.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $15.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.00%.

More Prudential Financial News

Here are the key news stories impacting Prudential Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend/total-return narratives and bullish dividend-appeal articles remind income-focused investors of PRU’s attractive yield and could support buying interest. Prudential (PRU) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus sits around “Hold” and coverage notes the stock’s recent weakness; this provides little directional catalyst but frames expectations. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market flow has shown elevated activity, signaling increased volatility expectations but not a clear directional bet — watch implied vol and large strikes for clues to near-term moves. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in PRU Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential’s Japanese subsidiary reported employees improperly removed/shared information with contracted agencies — a data-handling incident that creates operational, regulatory and reputational risk in Asia and is a clear near-term negative for sentiment. Prudential Japan Subsidiary Finds Employees Improperly Shared Information
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-ups and regional updates (Prudential Gibraltar/Japan) provide more detail on the scope (multiple seconded employees implicated), reinforcing uncertainty around compliance and potential costs. Prudential Gibraltar Addresses Data Handling Incident in Japan
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst moves have trimmed targets: Morgan Stanley cut its PRU price target (and kept an Equal Weight) and Wells Fargo downgraded to Underweight and lowered its target — analyst downgrades reduce buying conviction and can pressure the stock. Morgan Stanley Reduces Prudential Financial (PRU) Price Target after Updating Insurance Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s downgrade and lower target (cites lack of near-term catalysts) adds to the sell-side pressure and helps explain recent share weakness. Wells Fargo Downgrades Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU) to Underweight and Lowers its Price Target to $103

Prudential Financial Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, is a diversified financial services company with roots dating to 1875. The firm provides a range of insurance, retirement and investment products aimed at helping individual and institutional clients manage risk, accumulate and protect wealth, and plan for retirement. Prudential’s long history in life insurance and related financial services has positioned it as a major participant in the U.S. insurance market and a provider of services to a broad client base.

Prudential’s core business activities include individual life insurance, annuities, retirement solutions and group insurance products for employers.