Savant Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,848 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,516 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PRU. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,317,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $599,452,000 after purchasing an additional 57,531 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Prudential Financial by 4.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,353,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $413,064,000 after acquiring an additional 197,422 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,273,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $215,772,000 after acquiring an additional 38,229 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 9,281.4% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,368,839 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354,248 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in Prudential Financial by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,315,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $124,801,000 after purchasing an additional 36,599 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In other news, SVP Timothy L. Schmidt sold 7,912 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.13, for a total value of $855,524.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 14,754 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,350.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.39, for a total value of $782,792.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,642,656.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy L. Schmidt sold 7,912 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.13, for a total value of $855,524.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 14,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,595,350.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 29,255 shares of company stock valued at $3,215,664. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on PRU shares. Raymond James cut Prudential Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.42.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of PRU opened at $112.26 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.13 and a quick ratio of 0.13. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.21. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.22 and a 1-year high of $118.69.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.16 by ($0.04). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 15.50% and a net margin of 3.76%. The firm had revenue of $15.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 69.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.34 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.63%. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is currently 88.44%.

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.