Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 271 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 17.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 90.2% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 12,250.0% in the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. North Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Prudential Financial in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Prudential Financial in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 350.8% in the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Prudential Financial Stock Down 0.5%

PRU opened at $103.13 on Thursday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.38 and a fifty-two week high of $130.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $36.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $105.13 and a 200-day moving average of $104.32.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.58 earnings per share for the quarter. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 2.75%.The company had revenue of $8.35 billion during the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 19th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 19th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In related news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.65, for a total value of $438,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,358,132.90. This trade represents a 15.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on PRU. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $117.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Prudential Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $116.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $126.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $122.27.

About Prudential Financial

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.