Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) Price Target Lowered to $87.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) had its price target cut by BMO Capital Markets from $91.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on PRU. Mizuho cut their price target on Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $101.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Prudential Financial from $105.00 to $99.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Barclays lowered shares of Prudential Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $110.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $101.75.

Prudential Financial Price Performance

Shares of Prudential Financial stock opened at $94.38 on Thursday. Prudential Financial has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $119.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $97.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by ($0.07). Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 16.32% and a net margin of 6.20%.The business had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Prudential Financial will post 13.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. This is a boost from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Prudential Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph J. Wolk acquired 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $105.32 per share, for a total transaction of $42,128.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,128. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas D. Stoddard bought 250 shares of the business’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 purchase, the director directly owned 250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,742.50. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,650 shares of company stock valued at $168,841 in the last 90 days. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Prudential Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PRU. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $140,530,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised 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 worth $155,206,000 after purchasing an additional 958,672 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 183.3% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 804,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,440,000 after purchasing an additional 520,425 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,649,202 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $750,562,000 after purchasing an additional 420,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 209.2% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 520,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,871,000 after buying an additional 351,849 shares during the period. 56.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Prudential Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: PGIM leadership hire could modestly help business development and insurer relationships over time — appointment of Brian Towers to lead Global Insurance & Strategic Partnerships at PGIM. PGIM Appoints Brian Towers
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided a conference call/transcript discussing the Japan situation and financial implications; useful for investors seeking detailed management commentary. PRU Discusses Extension of Sales Suspension (Transcript)
• Negative Sentiment: Prudential extended the suspension of new sales in Japan by another 180 days; management now expects a $525M–$575M hit to 2026 pre‑tax adjusted operating income, which is the primary near‑term earnings headwind. Prudential extends Japan sales suspension
• Negative Sentiment: News coverage frames the Japan misconduct probe and prolonged suspension as escalating (“getting ‘ugly’”), amplifying investor concern about earnings and reputational risk. Prudential Stock Slumps — Misconduct Probe
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts followed the Japan update, reducing near‑term investor support:
  • Negative Sentiment: BMO cut target to $87 and moved to “underperform.” BMO note
  • Negative Sentiment: Barclays downgraded to “underweight,” target $91 (from $110). Barclays note
  • Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut from “buy” to “hold,” target $98. Jefferies note
  • Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered target to $100 (“market perform”). KBW note
  • Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler cut target to $99 (“neutral”). Piper Sandler note

  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.

  Recommended Stories

  • Five stocks we like better than Prudential Financial