Clarius Group LLC Has $385,000 Stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Clarius Group LLC trimmed its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 360 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In related news, SVP Robert Axel sold 6,436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.86, for a total value of $719,930.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,901 shares in the company, valued at $883,805.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total transaction of $782,792.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,656.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robert Axel sold 6,436 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.86, for a total transaction of $719,930.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $883,805.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 29,255 shares of company stock worth $3,215,664 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on PRU. Raymond James downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. TheStreet raised shares of Prudential Financial from a “c+” rating to an “a-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.67.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Prudential Financial stock opened at $109.69 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.22 and a twelve month high of $118.69. The stock has a market cap of $39.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $111.04 and its 200 day moving average is $102.62.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.67 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $13.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.99 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 14.52% and a net margin of 4.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.42 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.4 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.74%. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is presently 77.73%.

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.