Capital Fund Management S.A. Increases Position in Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK)

Capital Fund Management S.A. raised its stake in Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK - Free Report) by 23.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 22,003 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A.'s holdings in Prudential were worth $1,831,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Prudential by 4.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 57,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,059,000 after buying an additional 2,455 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Prudential by 98.2% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 40,722 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $758,000 after purchasing an additional 20,180 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Prudential during the 3rd quarter worth $199,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Prudential during the 3rd quarter worth $556,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Prudential by 353.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 293,210 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,436,000 after purchasing an additional 228,499 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Prudential from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Prudential in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Prudential Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Prudential stock traded down $0.21 on Monday, reaching $20.53. 45,350 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,033,632. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.94 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.00. Prudential plc has a 1-year low of $14.39 and a 1-year high of $22.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $19.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.53.

Prudential Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.3258 dividend. This is a boost 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%.

About Prudential

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.