Bull & Bear: Prudential Financial, Inc.

Shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. PRU are trading lower on the session by 0.27%, at $59.40. With the recent slide in shares, you have to wonder where the could head next… Bulls: Bulls will note that Prudential Financial, Inc. is nearing a key support level, at $59.46 (in fact it hit that level this morning and has rebounded through it). The last time shares touched this support they rallied to $65.00. Bulls will also note that shares are heavily oversold and have just breeched an upward-sloping 200-day moving average; that is typically a recipe for a pop. Bulls will also note that Prudential Financial, Inc. just announced a $1.5 billion stock repurchase program. A bullish trader could buy the July $60/65 call spread for a net debit of $1.45. Bears: Bears will note that the 20-day and 50-day moving averages are now downward-sloping, indicating that Prudential Financial, Inc. is no longer under accumulation. If shares were to close several days below $59.40, PRU could easily find itself testing $58.22, $57.64, and $56.40. With shares now trading below the 200-day moving average, traders will be eager to sell any rallies in the name. A bearish trader could buy the September $62.50/52.50 put spread for a net debit of $3.97. Prudential Financial, Inc. is a financial services company. It has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Through its subsidiaries, it offers an array of financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management and real estate services. It offers these products and services to individual and institutional customers through third-party distribution networks. It has two businesses: Financial Services Businesses, which comprises its U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division, U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division, and International Insurance and Investments division, and The Closed Block Business, which comprises the assets and related liabilities of the Closed Block.