Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Has $1.40 Million Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd lessened its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 53.4% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,881 shares during the period. Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $234,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 142,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,375,000 after purchasing an additional 18,334 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Prudential Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $610,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Prudential Financial by 14.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,093,000 after buying an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Prudential Financial from $102.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Prudential Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $109.31.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential sold 214,746 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total value of $5,314,963.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,973,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $197,348,010.75. This trade represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,652 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.01, for a total transaction of $956,576.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,407 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,801,019.07. This represents a 34.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:PRU opened at $122.67 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $42.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $116.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.78. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.89 and a 52-week high of $127.72.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported $4.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $14.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.36 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.68% and a net margin of 6.51%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.58 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.24 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be given a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.72%.

Prudential Financial Company 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.