Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Stock Position Raised by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 20.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 711,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 122,616 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.20% of Prudential Financial worth $84,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PRU. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in Prudential Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 14,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,705,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 65.9% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,116,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 420 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Altman Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 16,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 87,047 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.72 per share, for a total transaction of $2,499,989.84. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares in the company, valued at $2,499,989.84. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total transaction of $635,880.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,869,090.56. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Prudential Financial from $136.00 to $128.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $108.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $122.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $134.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $121.85.

Prudential Financial Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of PRU stock traded down $1.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $102.85. 1,276,662 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,609,158. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $106.64 and a 200 day moving average of $116.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.38 and a 1 year high of $130.55. The firm has a market cap of $36.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.11.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 4.01%. Analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.35 dividend. This is a boost from Prudential Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Prudential Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

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.