Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) Short Interest Up 42.6% in February

Prudential plc (NYSE:PUK) saw a large 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 short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Prudential Price Performance

NYSE:PUK traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $18.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,709,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,057,992. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.83. Prudential has a one year low of $14.39 and a one year high of $21.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Prudential by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,733,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,636,000 after purchasing an additional 34,344 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Prudential by 165.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,554,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,775,000 after purchasing an additional 968,317 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Prudential by 321.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,236,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,713,000 after acquiring an additional 943,487 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Prudential by 1,133.2% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,051,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,757,000 after acquiring an additional 965,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in Prudential in the fourth quarter valued at $16,207,000. 1.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Prudential

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.