Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $101.75.

Several research firms have issued reports on PRU. Wall Street Zen cut Prudential Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Prudential Financial from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $98.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd.

More Prudential Financial News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Q1 to show a higher net investment spread, favorable underwriting results and growth in fixed annuities — these operational beats would support earnings and margin improvement. What’s in the Cards for Prudential Financial This Earnings Season?
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings deep‑dive pieces highlight that analysts are watching metrics beyond revenue/EPS (net spread, NBP, annuity sales, underwriting trends). These previews set expectations but are not immediate catalysts until Q1 results arrive. Exploring Analyst Estimates for Prudential (PRU) Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Prudential appears in a list of high‑yield blue‑chip income names — inclusion may attract income‑focused investors but is not a near‑term earnings catalyst. 5 Quality Passive Income Blue-Chips That All Yield 5% and More Safely
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded PRU from “hold” to “strong sell” — a notable analyst downgrade that can pressure sentiment and lead some funds to reduce exposure. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential warned of inflationary pressures in South Asia even as quarterly new business profit rose — this flags geographic margin risk that could weigh on future NBP and expense assumptions. Prudential flags inflation risks in South Asia

Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In related news, EVP Jacques Chappuis purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $100.97 per share, with a total value of $100,970.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,970. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas D. Stoddard purchased 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $102.97 per share, for a total transaction of $25,742.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,742.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 1,650 shares of company stock valued at $168,841. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Prudential Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,234,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,945,381,000 after purchasing an additional 210,959 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,533,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,078,904,000 after purchasing an additional 26,414 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 6.7% during the 4th 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 period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Prudential Financial by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,701,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $280,214,000 after purchasing an additional 62,366 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,428,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $274,151,000 after acquiring an additional 15,865 shares in the last quarter. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PRU opened at $98.71 on Friday. Prudential Financial has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $119.76. The stock has a market cap of $34.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.87, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $1.40 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.00%.

About Prudential Financial

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.