Analysts have provided the following ratings for Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) within the last quarter:

6 analysts offering 12-month price targets in the last 3 months for Prudential Financial evaluate the company at an average price target of $85.5 with a high of $91.00 and a low of $79.00.

This current average has increased by 12.5% from the previous average price target of $76.0.

Analyst Ratings: What Are They?

Ratings come from analysts, or specialists within banking and financial systems that report for specific stocks or defined sectors (typically once per quarter for each stock). Analysts usually derive their information from company conference calls and meetings, financial statements, and conversations with important insiders to reach their decisions.

Analysts can recommend "buy", "sell", "hold", or similar verbage for each stock based on that company's recent performance. "Buy" indicates that an analyst is optimistic about a stock's short-term or mid-term growth and is a recommendation to purchase the stock. On the other hand, "Sell" implies that an analyst forecasts a downwards trend for the stock. "Hold" suggests that investors should maintain their positions on that stock because of forecasted stagnation or lack of new information.

Some analysts publish their predictions for metrics such as growth estimates, earnings, and revenue to provide additional guidance with their ratings. When using analyst ratings, it is important to keep in mind that stock and sector analysts are also human and are only offering their opinions to investors.