HMV Wealth Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 2,655 Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

HMV Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,655 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Prudential Financial by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the third quarter worth about $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 87,047 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.72 per share, with a total value of $2,499,989.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,499,989.84. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total value of $635,880.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,072 shares in the company, valued at $2,869,090.56. This represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PRU. Barclays boosted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.15.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $108.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $104.45 and a twelve month high of $130.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $114.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.37. The stock has a market cap of $38.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 72.29%.

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.