Arizona State Retirement System Lowers Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Arizona State Retirement System cut its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,914 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $10,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 30.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,134 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in Prudential Financial by 25.8% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 56,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,092,000 after purchasing an additional 11,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Prudential Financial by 15.1% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 37,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,005,000 after acquiring an additional 4,895 shares during the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Prudential Financial News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Prudential Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: PGIM (Prudential’s asset management arm) named Brian Towers to lead Global Insurance & Strategic Partnerships, which could help deepen insurer relationships and drive integrated investment solutions for PGIM/Prudential over the medium term. PGIM Appoints Brian Towers to Lead Global Insurance and Strategic Partnerships
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparative piece examines Prudential vs. insurtech Lemonade; useful context on competitive positioning but unlikely to drive material near‑term moves. Head to Head Review: Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) vs. Lemonade (NYSE:LMND)
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target from $104 to $100 and kept a “market perform” rating — a modest revision that still implies slight upside, so impact on sentiment is limited. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods price target note (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry M&A chatter (CVC/Standard Life pensions) is being reported; sector activity can change strategic dynamics for pension/asset managers but isn’t a direct company event for PRU today. Cvc Capital-Led Group Emerges as Frontrunner in Standard Life Pensions Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays cut its rating on PRU, signaling weaker analyst conviction and likely pressuring sentiment and flows. Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Stock Rating Lowered by Barclays
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies lowered PRU to a “Hold,” another analyst downgrade that reduces buy-side momentum and further weighs on the stock. Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Jefferies Financial Group
• Negative Sentiment: BMO cut its price target to $87 and moved to “underperform,” and BMO’s note raises downside risk versus peers and the market — a clear headwind for sentiment. BMO price target cut (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential extended a sales suspension in Japan by another 180 days and disclosed incremental financial impacts — this directly reduces near‑term new business and revenue in a key region and is cited by management as having measurable financial effects. Coverage includes a Seeking Alpha slideshow and reporting on the extension. Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU) Discusses Extension of Sales Suspension and Financial Implications for Japan Operations – Slideshow Prudential extends Japan sales suspension by another 180 days Prudential outlines Japan sales suspension’s financial impact

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on PRU shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Prudential Financial from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Prudential Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Prudential Financial from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $124.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $101.75.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

NYSE PRU opened at $94.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $97.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.72. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $119.76.

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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 6.20% and a return on equity of 16.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Prudential Financial news, Director Thomas D. Stoddard acquired 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $102.97 per share, with a total value of $25,742.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,742.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph J. Wolk acquired 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $42,128. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 1,650 shares of company stock valued at $168,841. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.