Prudential Public (NYSE:PUK) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Prudential Public (NYSE:PUK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on PUK. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Prudential Public in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised Prudential Public from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $39.30 target price on Prudential Public and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.30.

Prudential Public Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of PUK stock opened at $23.80 on Friday. Prudential Public has a 1 year low of $23.31 and a 1 year high of $34.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $26.25 and its 200-day moving average is $28.04.

Prudential Public (NYSE:PUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Prudential Public will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.1776 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a yield of 133.0%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Prudential Public by 746.3% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 4,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,560 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in Prudential Public by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 202,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,005,000 after acquiring an additional 17,329 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Prudential Public during the 3rd quarter worth $219,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Prudential Public by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 18,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its holdings in Prudential Public by 373.2% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 70,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,890,000 after acquiring an additional 55,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

About Prudential Public

Prudential plc is a financial services group that provides life and health insurance, retirement solutions and related financial products. The company serves individual and institutional customers through offerings that can include protection, savings, investment-linked insurance and wellness services.

Prudential focuses primarily on markets in Asia and Africa, with operations and partnerships serving customers across a range of emerging and developed economies. Its asset-management business, Eastspring Investments, provides investment products and services to institutional and retail clients in selected markets.

Founded in London in 1848, Prudential has undergone significant strategic changes in recent years.