Barclays Downgrades Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) to Underweight

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) was downgraded by stock analysts at Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $91.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock, down from their prior target price of $110.00. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 5.59% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on PRU. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $120.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore reaffirmed a “negative” rating on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Friday, March 6th. 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 report on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Prudential Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $105.36.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

NYSE PRU opened at $96.39 on Wednesday. Prudential Financial has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $119.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.53 billion, a PE ratio of 9.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.92.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial will post 14.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jacques Chappuis bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $100.97 per share, with a total value of $100,970.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,970. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential bought 1,406,739 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.87 per share, with a total value of $34,985,598.93. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 7,709,624 shares in the company, valued at $191,738,348.88. This represents a 22.32% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 1,408,389 shares of company stock valued at $35,154,439. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Prudential Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 71.1% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 13,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,351,000 after purchasing an additional 5,412 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,285,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 312.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 12,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 9,183 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,856,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 94.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 157,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,783,000 after purchasing an additional 76,461 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories 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

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.