SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PRU. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 12,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $426,000. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 25,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,032,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PRU opened at $110.90 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $39.70 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.31. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.44 and a 12-month high of $130.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.80.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 4.01%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This is a boost from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.87%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on PRU. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $136.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.15.

Prudential Financial Company 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.