Cwm LLC Acquires 480 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Cwm LLC grew its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cambridge Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 77.2% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 241 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the third quarter worth $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 151.6% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the third quarter worth $38,000. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 7,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $857,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,527,504.87. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Ann M. Kappler sold 7,222 shares of Prudential Financial 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,642,656.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 7,685 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $857,415.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,527,504.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 29,255 shares of company stock worth $3,215,664. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $118.00 target price (down from $119.00) on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $109.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.42.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PRU opened at $110.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $103.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.37. 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 52 week low of $77.22 and a 52 week high of $118.69.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.67 by ($0.09). The firm 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%. Prudential Financial’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.42 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.