Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Sold by Unigestion Holding SA

Unigestion Holding SA lowered its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 22.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,823 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,657 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $2,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 2,210.6% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Prudential Financial by 59.4% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 10,566 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 3,939 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 116,300.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,328 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,326 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its position in Prudential Financial by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 81,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 675,946 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $75,490,000 after buying an additional 16,393 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Prudential Financial stock traded up $1.90 on Friday, reaching $105.63. 1,006,392 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,643,003. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.39 billion, a PE ratio of 14.14, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.07. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $90.38 and a 1-year high of $130.55. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $102.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.94.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 4.01%. The business had revenue of $13.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 38.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.11%. Prudential Financial's payout ratio is currently 85.58%.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total value of $635,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,869,090.56. This represents a 18.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 52,595 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $28.52 per share, with a total value of $1,500,009.40. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 139,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,992,429.24. The trade was a 60.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $134.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Prudential Financial from $122.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.15.

About Prudential Financial

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.