Aquatic Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 17,377 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PUK. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential by 417.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,497 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Prudential in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in shares of Prudential in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Prudential by 95.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Prudential by 52.6% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,042 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,049 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Prudential Trading Up 1.2 %

PUK stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Friday, reaching $22.15. 392,404 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,021,945. Prudential plc has a twelve month low of $14.39 and a twelve month high of $22.25. The company has a market capitalization of $28.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.89.

Prudential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.3258 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This is a boost from Prudential's previous dividend of $0.24. Prudential's payout ratio is currently 28.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Prudential in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Prudential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Prudential Profile

Prudential plc, through its subsidiaries, provides life and health insurance, and asset management solutions to individuals in Asia and Africa. The company was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong.