Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Has Lowered Expectations for Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its price target on Prudential Financial to $104 (from $106) and kept a "market perform" rating; the analyst community is broadly cautious with a MarketBeat consensus of "Reduce" and several recent downgrades, including Wells Fargo lowering its target to $95.
• PRU traded near $96.67 on Friday (down $0.44) with a market cap of $33.62B and a P/E of 9.66, while insiders purchased roughly 1.408 million shares recently and the stock's ~5.8% dividend yield is highlighted as support for income investors.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $106.00 to $104.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "market perform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.59% from the company's previous close.

PRU has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $103.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler raised shares of Prudential Financial to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Evercore reiterated a "negative" rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Prudential Financial from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $109.78.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Prudential Financial stock traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $96.67. 658,141 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,304,334. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.95. Prudential Financial has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $119.76. The business's 50-day moving average is $99.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.12.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.37 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Prudential Financial will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 1,406,739 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $34,985,598.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,709,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $191,738,348.88. This trade represents a 22.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph J. Wolk acquired 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,128. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Prudential Financial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 98.3% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 230 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 93.4% in the fourth quarter. Coston McIsaac & Partners now owns 265 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Prudential Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Prudential is highlighted as a high‑yield blue‑chip (reported dividend yield ~5.8%), which can support the share price for income‑oriented investors. 5 Blue Chip Stocks with Highest Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $98 and placed PRU at "neutral" — the new PT implies roughly a small upside from current levels, but the rating is cautious. This suggests analysts expect only modest upside absent stronger fundamentals. UBS Price Target Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its target to $110 while keeping an Equal Weight rating, and Wolfe Research reaffirmed a Hold — these preserve institutional caution and indicate varied analyst views on growth and premium trends. Barclays Cuts Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Prudential’s upcoming Q1 report to show modest, single‑digit profit growth — the quarter could provide a catalyst, but expectations are not high. Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $95 and moved PRU to "underweight" — a clear negative signal from a major shop that increases downside pressure and likely contributed to intraday selling. Wells Fargo PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: SEC filings show Bfsg LLC trimmed its PRU stake by ~25.5% (sold ~9,748 shares), indicating some institutional selling that can add to downward momentum in the near term. Bfsg LLC Decreases Holdings

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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