Barclays PLC Decreases Stock Position in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

Barclays PLC lessened its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,580,742 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 251,684 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $163,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Prudential Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $122,778,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 42,502,160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,566,432,000 after acquiring an additional 600,482 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Prudential Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,552,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 209.2% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 520,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,871,000 after purchasing an additional 351,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algebris UK Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Prudential Financial in the third quarter valued at $36,298,000. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 6,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.28, for a total transaction of $762,215.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,523 shares in the company, valued at $2,618,974.44. The trade was a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph J. Wolk bought 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,128. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Evercore restated a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $115.00 to $103.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Prudential Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $115.00.

Prudential Financial News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend/total-return narratives and bullish dividend-appeal articles remind income-focused investors of PRU’s attractive yield and could support buying interest. Prudential (PRU) Could Be a Great Choice
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus sits around “Hold” and coverage notes the stock’s recent weakness; this provides little directional catalyst but frames expectations. Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market flow has shown elevated activity, signaling increased volatility expectations but not a clear directional bet — watch implied vol and large strikes for clues to near-term moves. Is the Options Market Predicting a Spike in PRU Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential’s Japanese subsidiary reported employees improperly removed/shared information with contracted agencies — a data-handling incident that creates operational, regulatory and reputational risk in Asia and is a clear near-term negative for sentiment. Prudential Japan Subsidiary Finds Employees Improperly Shared Information
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-ups and regional updates (Prudential Gibraltar/Japan) provide more detail on the scope (multiple seconded employees implicated), reinforcing uncertainty around compliance and potential costs. Prudential Gibraltar Addresses Data Handling Incident in Japan
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst moves have trimmed targets: Morgan Stanley cut its PRU price target (and kept an Equal Weight) and Wells Fargo downgraded to Underweight and lowered its target — analyst downgrades reduce buying conviction and can pressure the stock. Morgan Stanley Reduces Prudential Financial (PRU) Price Target after Updating Insurance Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo’s downgrade and lower target (cites lack of near-term catalysts) adds to the sell-side pressure and helps explain recent share weakness. Wells Fargo Downgrades Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU) to Underweight and Lowers its Price Target to $103

Prudential Financial Stock Down 2.1%

NYSE PRU opened at $97.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.38 and a 52 week high of $119.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a fifty day moving average of $107.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.07.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced 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). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 6.20% and a return on equity of 16.32%. The firm had revenue of $15.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.40 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.00%.

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.