Blue Trust Inc. Has $321,000 Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 44.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,706 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,137 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vicus Capital increased its position in Prudential Financial by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 8,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 9,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,173,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the period. Palacios Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. Values Added Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 162,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,376,000 after buying an additional 1,105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 537,249 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $27.92 per share, with a total value of $14,999,992.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,780,293 shares in the company, valued at $133,465,780.56. This trade represents a 12.66 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on PRU. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded Prudential Financial from an “underperform” rating to an “inline” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.46.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PRU opened at $111.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.70. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.44 and a 1-year high of $130.55. The stock has a market cap of $39.77 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.31.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. As a group, analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.83%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.61%.

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.