Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) Short Interest Update

Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,440,000 shares, an increase of 42.6% from the January 31st total of 1,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 958,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prudential

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PUK. Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new stake in shares of Prudential in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $773,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Prudential by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 307,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,904,000 after acquiring an additional 119,069 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 356,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,687,000 after buying an additional 47,994 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Prudential by 267.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 141,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 103,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Prudential by 575.1% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 72,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after acquiring an additional 61,735 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Prudential from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Prudential Stock Performance

PUK stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $19.46. The company had a trading volume of 533,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,044,957. The company has a market cap of $25.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.83. Prudential has a twelve month low of $14.39 and a twelve month high of $21.27.

Prudential Company Profile

Prudential plc, through its subsidiaries, provides life and health insurance, and asset management solutions to individuals in Asia and Africa. The company was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong.