AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 89,915 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its Prudential Financial stake by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 89,915 shares and bringing its total holding to 897,597 shares valued at about $101.3 million.
• Prudential reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $3.61 versus the $3.09 estimate and revenue of $15.23 billion, while analysts now expect full-year EPS of 13.72.
• The company continues to offer income to shareholders, declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share for a 5.4% annualized yield; meanwhile, Wall Street sentiment remains cautious with an average “Reduce” rating and a $101.50 price target.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 897,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 89,915 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.26% of Prudential Financial worth $101,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 98.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 93.4% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 982.8% during the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 314 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In related news, Director Thomas D. Stoddard purchased 250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,742.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PRU. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $98.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on Prudential Financial from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Prudential Financial from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research cut Prudential Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $101.50.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Prudential Financial stock opened at $103.12 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $97.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $35.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $119.76.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 5.83%.The company had revenue of $15.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. Prudential Financial's payout ratio is 57.61%.

Key Stories Impacting Prudential Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Prudential’s asset management arm, PGIM, launched its first private credit CIT for defined contribution plans, expanding its retirement-plan product lineup and potentially opening a new source of fee-based growth. PGIM launches first private credit CIT to broaden defined contribution market access
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Prudential Financial to $106 from $100, signaling improved expectations even while keeping a market-perform rating. Prudential Financial price target raised by KBW
• Positive Sentiment: Prudential also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors and underscoring capital-return discipline. Does Prudential (PRU) Balancing Dividends, Buybacks, and New Debt Reveal Its True Capital Priorities?
• Neutral Sentiment: Prudential said employers facing medical-cost stress could see lower productivity, absenteeism, and turnover, but the comments read more like industry commentary than a direct earnings driver. Employers say they’re doing enough to help with medical costs, but workers disagree
• Neutral Sentiment: Prudential reportedly reduced its stake in Kirby in a profitable sell-off, which reflects active portfolio management but is unlikely to materially change PRU’s near-term outlook on its own. Financial services giant Prudential slashes Kirby stake in profitable sell-off

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.

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