Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Cut to “Hold” at Jefferies Financial Group

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) was downgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $98.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 1.67% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on PRU. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $103.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $101.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Barclays cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $119.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $106.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $105.36.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $96.39 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Prudential Financial has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $119.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $98.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.92. The stock has a market cap of $33.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.95.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.37 by ($0.07). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.The company had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial will post 14.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Prudential Financial news, Director Joseph J. Wolk acquired 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $105.32 per share, with a total value of $42,128.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,128. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential acquired 1,406,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $34,985,598.93. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 7,709,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $191,738,348.88. This trade represents a 22.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 1,408,389 shares of company stock worth $35,154,439. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Prudential Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $140,530,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 230.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,374,966 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $155,206,000 after purchasing an additional 958,672 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 183.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 804,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $83,440,000 after purchasing an additional 520,425 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Prudential Financial by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,649,202 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $750,562,000 after purchasing an additional 420,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Prudential Financial

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

• Positive Sentiment: Prudential emphasizes it will only resume Japan sales when governance, compliance and oversight meet standards, and frames the move as part of foundational reforms — a sign management is prioritizing long‑term franchise protection over short‑term revenue. Prudential of Japan Extends Voluntary Sales Suspension
• Neutral Sentiment: Company formally announced a 180‑day extension to the voluntary sales suspension at Prudential of Japan (following the prior 90‑day pause) — a confirmed timeline extension that gives management time to complete remediation. Prudential of Japan Extends Voluntary Sales Suspension
• Negative Sentiment: Management now expects a larger 2026 pre‑tax adjusted operating income drag of roughly $525M–$575M from the Japan sales pause, directly pressuring near‑term earnings and valuation. Prudential Outlines Earnings Hit After Suspension of New Business In Japan
• Negative Sentiment: Media (Nikkei/Bloomberg/Barron’s) report an internal probe into alleged misconduct at the Japan unit and Prudential has pulled near‑term growth targets — heightening regulatory, remediation and reputational risks. Prudential Japan unit probed — Nikkei
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have trimmed targets and adopted more cautious stances after the headlines and updated supplement disclosures; that, plus restated reporting items, has amplified selling pressure. Analyst reaction & price-target moves

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.