O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 19,120 Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 19,120 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Prudential by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 111,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,777,000 after buying an additional 935 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential by 95.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,497 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in Prudential during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Prudential in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Prudential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Prudential Price Performance

NYSE PUK traded up $0.60 during trading on Thursday, reaching $20.82. 436,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,035,221. Prudential plc has a fifty-two week low of $14.39 and a fifty-two week high of $22.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.00, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $19.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.51.

Prudential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.3258 per share. This is an increase from Prudential's previous dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Prudential's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.02%.

Prudential Company 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.