Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 31.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,453 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $1,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Financial LLC lifted its position in Prudential Financial by 99.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 4,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 463,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,944,000 after buying an additional 32,928 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 129,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,323,000 after buying an additional 4,232 shares during the period. Allianz SE bought a new position in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $195,000. Finally, Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,231,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

NYSE PRU opened at $112.83 on Thursday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.45 and a 1 year high of $130.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $112.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.87. The company has a market cap of $40.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. On average, analysts predict that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.79%. This is a positive change from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 87,047 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $28.72 per share, for a total transaction of $2,499,989.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,047 shares in the company, valued at $2,499,989.84. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.98, for a total transaction of $635,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,072 shares in the company, valued at $2,869,090.56. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PRU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Prudential Financial from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $129.00 to $125.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $136.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $126.08.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments.