Groupama Asset Managment Decreases Position in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Groupama Asset Managment lowered its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 82.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 19,822 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $443,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 146.5% during the third quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the second quarter worth $36,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential Financial in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 4,600.0% in the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PRU shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Evercore restated a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Prudential Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Barclays cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $124.00 to $119.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Prudential Financial from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $115.22.

Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In other news, Director Joseph J. Wolk acquired 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,128. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas D. Stoddard bought 250 shares of Prudential Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 250 shares in the company, valued at $25,742.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE PRU opened at $93.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.38 and a 12 month high of $119.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $103.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.02.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.37 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $14.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $1.40 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.00%.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, is a diversified financial services company with roots dating to 1875. The firm provides a range of insurance, retirement and investment products aimed at helping individual and institutional clients manage risk, accumulate and protect wealth, and plan for retirement. Prudential’s long history in life insurance and related financial services has positioned it as a major participant in the U.S. insurance market and a provider of services to a broad client base.

Prudential’s core business activities include individual life insurance, annuities, retirement solutions and group insurance products for employers.