Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 52,764 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,155,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 30.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,690 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.5% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,164 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $447,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 25.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 56,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,092,000 after buying an additional 11,630 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 15.1% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 37,277 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,005,000 after buying an additional 4,895 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on PRU shares. Argus lowered Prudential Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $106.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $101.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $105.46.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of PRU opened at $119.83 on Friday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $120.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $108.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $41.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.85.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.29 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. Prudential Financial's payout ratio is 57.61%.

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.

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