Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 4,053 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU - Free Report) by 33.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,053 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PRU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Prudential Financial from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $134.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $108.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Prudential Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Prudential Financial Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE PRU traded down $1.42 on Wednesday, hitting $102.61. 2,472,251 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,606,516. The company's 50-day moving average price is $106.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.38 and a 52-week high of $130.55. The company has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Prudential Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.26%. Prudential Financial's payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

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

Prudential Financial 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.