SFE Investment Counsel Buys 5,347 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

SFE Investment Counsel boosted its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,347 shares during the period. Prudential Financial comprises about 1.4% of SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $9,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Global Investments lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 71.1% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 13,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,351,000 after purchasing an additional 5,412 shares during the last quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 117.1% in the 4th quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,178,000 after purchasing an additional 10,404 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 94.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 157,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,783,000 after purchasing an additional 76,461 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,285,000. Finally, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 22.0% during the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 108,839 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,291,000 after acquiring an additional 19,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $102.44 on Thursday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $119.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.56. The company has a market capitalization of $35.55 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business had revenue of $15.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.29 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.72 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be issued a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PRU shares. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $96.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $124.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Prudential Financial has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $101.50.

More Prudential Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Prudential Financial to $106 from $100, signaling room for additional upside even though it kept a market perform rating. Benzinga report on KBW price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo issued a positive forecast for Prudential Financial, which adds to sentiment that earnings and fundamentals remain solid. Wells Fargo positive forecast article
• Positive Sentiment: Prudential declared a quarterly dividend of $1.40 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income investors with a roughly 5.5% annualized yield. Prudential Financial declares quarterly dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo also raised its target price to $100 while maintaining an underweight rating, suggesting limited downside but not a strongly bullish stance. Wells Fargo target price update
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage from Piper Sandler lifted its target to $105, adding to the broader analyst debate around fair value for PRU. Piper Sandler price target raise

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas D. Stoddard purchased 250 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,742.50. This trade represents a ? increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

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.