Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PUK. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Prudential in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Prudential in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Prudential from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Prudential from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Prudential in a report on Tuesday, April 1st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prudential

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of Prudential during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Prudential in the 4th quarter valued at about $188,000. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Prudential in the fourth quarter worth about $16,207,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Prudential during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in Prudential by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 15,588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 6,368 shares during the period. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Prudential Stock Down 0.0%

PUK opened at $24.30 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.03. Prudential has a 52 week low of $14.39 and a 52 week high of $24.38. The stock has a market cap of $31.64 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.02.

Prudential Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a $0.3258 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential’s previous dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. Prudential’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.02%.

About Prudential

Prudential plc, through its subsidiaries, provides life and health insurance, and asset management solutions to individuals in Asia and Africa. The company was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong.