First Trust Advisors LP Acquires Shares of 14,300 Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK)

First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 14,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential by 417.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,497 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Prudential during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of Prudential during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential by 95.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Prudential by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,042 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. 1.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Prudential in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Prudential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Prudential Stock Up 1.6%

PUK opened at $22.22 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.58, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $20.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.93. Prudential plc has a twelve month low of $14.39 and a twelve month high of $22.25.

Prudential Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid 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%.

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.

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