JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Stock Price

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $127.00 to $124.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.01% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Prudential Financial from $110.00 to $104.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Mizuho set a $108.00 price objective on Prudential Financial in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $123.00 to $119.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $106.92.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

NYSE:PRU traded down $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $114.80. The stock had a trading volume of 166,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,008,433. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $39.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.85. Prudential Financial has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $127.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $117.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.25.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The financial services provider reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.52 by $0.56. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 16.68%. The company had revenue of $14.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.58 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial will post 14.37 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In other news, EVP Ann Kappler sold 7,652 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.01, for a total transaction of $956,576.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,407 shares in the company, valued at $1,801,019.07. The trade was a 34.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential sold 214,746 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total value of $5,314,963.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,973,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $197,348,010.75. The trade was a 2.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Prudential Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRU. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Prudential Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 93.1% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 278 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. EFG International AG raised its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 452.2% during the 2nd quarter. EFG International AG now owns 381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 34.8% in the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Prudential Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Prudential agreed to sell its Brazil and Mexico businesses for approximately $4.03 billion in cash. The transaction supports the company’s effort to streamline its international portfolio, strengthen capital flexibility and potentially return capital to shareholders, although it also reduces exposure to those markets. Prudential Financial Agrees to Sell Operations in Brazil, Mexico for $4.03 Billion Cash
• Positive Sentiment: Prudential is partnering with SoFi to make life-insurance products available within SoFi’s app, which serves roughly 15 million members. The arrangement could expand Prudential’s digital distribution, customer reach and new-business opportunities. SoFi and Prudential Financial team up to expand access to life insurance
• Neutral Sentiment: Prudential Wealth Advisors plans to increase recruiting through a centralized operating model. The move may support longer-term growth in its advice business, but the financial impact is not yet clear. Prudential Wealth Advisors set to ramp up recruiting with new centralized model
• Negative Sentiment: DOWLING & PARTN cut its Prudential EPS forecasts to $13.80 for fiscal 2027 from $14.60 and to $15.30 for fiscal 2028 from $16.15. The reductions signal weaker expected earnings growth and add pressure relative to the current-year consensus estimate of $14.37. Prudential Financial analyst estimates
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target to $112 from $114 and maintained a “hold” rating. Barclays and Morgan Stanley also reportedly reduced their expectations, reinforcing cautious analyst sentiment toward PRU. Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Prudential Financial Stock Price

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc (NYSE: PRU) is a global financial services company that provides insurance, retirement, investment management and related financial products. Founded in Newark, New Jersey, in 1875, the company serves individuals, businesses and institutional investors through a range of businesses and distribution channels.

In the United States, Prudential offers life insurance, annuities, retirement plans and employee benefits, including group life, disability and dental insurance.