13,766 Shares in Prudential Financial, Inc. $PRU Bought by Inceptionr LLC

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 13,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,428,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PRU. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 4,134 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $76,000. Andra AP fonden purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $599,000. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Prudential Financial by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Prudential Financial

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 Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE:PRU opened at $97.08 on Monday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.38 and a 12 month high of $119.76. 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’s 50 day moving average is $107.68 and its 200 day moving average is $107.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.78 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.98.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jacques Chappuis acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $100.97 per share, for a total transaction of $100,970.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,970. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Feeney sold 6,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,618,974.44. This trade represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 1,408,389 shares of company stock worth $35,154,439 in the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Prudential Financial from $126.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore reiterated a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut Prudential Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings raised Prudential Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Prudential Financial from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $115.00.

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.