Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 15,056 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Key Points

• Empowered Funds increased its Prudential Financial position by 53.9% in the first quarter, acquiring 15,056 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 42,981 shares valued at approximately $4.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 56.83% of PRU.
• Prudential exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.61 in EPS and $15.23 billion in revenue, versus estimates of $3.09 and $14.10 billion, respectively. The company also maintains a $1.40 quarterly dividend, representing an annualized yield of about 4.6%.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with an average “Reduce” rating and a $105.46 price target below PRU’s $122.36 share price. The stock is trading near its 12-month high, while a major shareholder recently sold 214,746 shares.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 53.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,056 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $4,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 95.3% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,556,748 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $249,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247,371 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $140,530,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 230.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,374,966 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $155,206,000 after buying an additional 958,672 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 37.3% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,588,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $155,156,000 after buying an additional 431,527 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,649,202 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $750,562,000 after acquiring an additional 420,081 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on PRU. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Argus lowered shares of Prudential Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Prudential Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $92.00 price target (down from $106.00) on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Prudential Financial from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $105.46.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

PRU stock opened at $122.36 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $110.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $124.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.84.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 5.83%.The business had revenue of $15.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th were issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 26th. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.61%.

Prudential Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect second-quarter performance to benefit from continued strength in Retirement, Individual Life and PGIM. The earnings preview suggests these businesses could help offset weakness in Group Insurance and support another solid quarterly result. Will Prudential Financial Pull Off a Surprise This Earnings Season?
• Positive Sentiment: Prudential’s latest reported quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $3.61 versus the $3.09 consensus estimate and revenue of $15.23 billion versus expectations of $14.10 billion. Analysts project approximately $13.83 in full-year EPS, while the company’s $1.40 quarterly dividend provides a roughly 4.6% annualized yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focused on key operating metrics for the quarter ended June 2026, including trends across retirement, life insurance, asset management and group insurance. The metric-focused preview highlights the potential for segment-level results to matter as much as headline revenue and earnings. Unlocking Q2 Potential of Prudential
• Neutral Sentiment: PRU is trading near its 12-month high after a strong advance above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. That momentum is supportive, but it also raises the bar for an earnings beat or improved outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Insurance Co. of America Prudential sold 214,746 shares, reducing its position by 2.62%. Although the shareholder retained nearly 8.0 million shares, the transaction may create a modest overhang and reinforce profit-taking concerns. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious: MarketBeat reports an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $105.46, below the current trading range. Group Insurance pressure and the possibility of limited upside relative to consensus targets may be contributing to the stock’s weakness.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In other news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential sold 214,746 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $5,314,963.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,973,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $197,348,010.75. The trade was a 2.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Prudential Financial

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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