ABC Arbitrage SA Acquires New Holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 32,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,395,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.7% during 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Prudential Financial by 30.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,976,000 after buying an additional 4,134 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in Prudential Financial by 6.7% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 28,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,781 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Prudential Financial by 17.8% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 61,916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,653,000 after acquiring an additional 11,039 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Prudential Financial Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $103.25 on Wednesday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.38 and a 1 year high of $119.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $112.22 and its 200-day moving average is $107.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.14 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.97.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.07). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.The company had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is presently 54.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Prudential Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board addition strengthens governance — Prudential elected Maryann T. Mannen (Marathon CEO) to its board, adding 30+ years of operational and financial experience and placing her on governance and compensation committees. This can be viewed positively for strategy and oversight. Business Wire: Mannen Joins Board
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying signals confidence — EVP Jacques Chappuis purchased 1,000 shares at ~$100.97 on Feb. 6, a public insider buy that investors typically view as a sign management has conviction in the stock near current levels. InsiderTrades: EVP Purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase supports income thesis — Prudential announced a higher quarterly dividend ($1.40 vs. prior $1.35; annualized $5.60, ~5.5% yield), which bolsters appeal to yield-focused investors and can provide downside support. MarketBeat: Dividend & Company Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Street consensus remains cautious — Recent broker coverage averages to a “Hold.” That implies limited near-term analyst-driven upside catalysts absent operational beats or multiple re-ratings. American Banking News: Broker Recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Price target cut by Mizuho — Mizuho lowered its PRU price target from $126 to $113 while keeping a “neutral” rating; that reduces the analyst-implied upside and may weigh on sentiment. Benzinga: Mizuho Lowers Target
• Negative Sentiment: Recent EPS missed estimates — Q4 EPS of $3.30 missed consensus ($3.37), which can pressure near-term multiple expansion until earnings consistency returns. MarketBeat: Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of insider selling raise caution — Coverage flagged insider disposals in recent weeks; while some insiders are buying, mixed insider activity can create short-term uncertainty for sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Insider Disposals

Insider Activity at Prudential Financial

In related news, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 6,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total transaction of $762,215.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,523 shares in the company, valued at $2,618,974.44. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 1,406,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $34,985,598.93. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,709,624 shares in the company, valued at $191,738,348.88. The trade was a 22.32% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $117.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $126.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Prudential Financial from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Prudential Financial from $111.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.11.

About Prudential Financial

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.