Higher Profit for Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) announced its results for the third quarter on November 2, 2011. Let's take a closer look at the company's industry, financials, and commentary and see what steps you can take next.

Earnings and Revenue:
Prudential Financial announced EPS of $1.07/share versus the $1.56/share estimate. Revenue climbed 49.7% from the same period last year.
Last quarter's profit increase comes on the heels of three consecutive quarters of year-over-year profit decreases. Profits declined 22.2% in the second quarter,12.8% three quarters ago, and 90.5% four quarters ago.

Income:
For the year, Prudential Financial reported net income of $6.25/share. The company trumped analyst projections of $6.23 by 0.3%. According to the reported number, the company's income rose 23.3% from last year's levels.

Official Comment:
"While our third quarter results reflect the turbulent financial markets, underlying performance of our businesses was solid. In the U.S. retirement market, we are continuing to build a base of business that can perform well across market cycles. Our international businesses are benefiting from growth in the protection and retirement income security markets with expanding multiple channel distribution, and the integration of the Star and Edison businesses we acquired earlier this year continues on track. Unsettled economic times provide an opportunity for the strongest companies to grow, as clients, advisors and distributors seek a trusted financial partner, and we believe our financial strength and sustained commitment to our selected markets are serving us well, both in the U.S. and in our international markets. Looking forward, we are confident that we can continue to execute our strategies successfully, and we believe our balanced mix of businesses and risks support our ability to achieve our long term objectives over a variety of market conditions," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Strangfeld.

Industry:
Prudential Financial's industry, insurance-multiline, is currently reporting price/earnings growth of 0.8%.

What to Do Next:
Now that you've gotten a round up of Prudential Financial's latest numbers, you can make a better-informed decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold those shares. Whatever you do, be sure to visit us before the company's next earnings release for a full preview.

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