Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 222 Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 222 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 7.4% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 17,968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,176,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,423,000. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 56.1% during the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 21,998 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,607,000 after acquiring an additional 7,907 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 419,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,830,000 after acquiring an additional 15,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.3% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 79,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,597,000 after acquiring an additional 1,765 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.83% of the company’s stock.

Prudential Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of PRU stock opened at $111.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.31. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $104.44 and a one year high of $130.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $116.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.36 by ($0.40). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 15.86%. Sell-side analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This is an increase from Prudential Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Prudential Financial’s payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PRU shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $149.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Prudential Financial from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Prudential Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.69.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments.