World Investment Advisors Has $1.37 Million Stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU

World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 104.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. VCI Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Prudential Financial by 117.1% during the 4th quarter. VCI Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,178,000 after acquiring an additional 10,404 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 94.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 157,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,783,000 after acquiring an additional 76,461 shares in the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 2,669.0% in the fourth quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 46,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,342,000 after purchasing an additional 45,293 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 846.7% in the fourth quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 25,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 23,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 171,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,357,000 after purchasing an additional 14,327 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

NYSE PRU opened at $106.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.89 and a 52-week high of $119.76. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.34.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $3.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $0.52. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The firm had revenue of $15.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.29 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 13.78 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 26th were paid a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 26th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of 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 report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $96.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Prudential Financial from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research raised Prudential Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Argus lowered Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $101.50.

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.