U.S.'s Biggest Insurer Just Reported Huge Profit Decline - Here's Why
The United States's largest life insurance firm by assets, Prudential Financial, felt the dual sting of the pandemic and low interest rates in 2020. The company posted its first annual loss since 2013, with final figures from 2020 showing a net loss of -$374 million. In the fourth quarter, profit plummeted by -27%, though the company still managed to post net income of $819 million. In the same quarter last year, profit was $1.13 billion.
The pandemic's impact on business is a more obvious reason major U.S. companies felt profit pressure in 2020. Less obvious is why interest falling interest rates would matter to the business. Here's why -- insurance companies like Prudential generally rely on high yielding bonds to generate interest on money being held to pay out benefits. When interest rates fall and earnings on those bonds fall with them, margins get squeezed and the insurance company is less profitable.
All insurance companies faced the same pressures as Prudential, but some fared better than others. Below, Tickeron's A.I.dvisor runs a full analysis of players in the Insurance industry, with trade ideas to go along with it. Overall, A.I.dvisor is bullish on the sector.
PUK's Stochastic Oscillator stays in overbought zone for 4 days
The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for PUK moved out of overbought territory on June 27, 2025. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 35 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 35 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where PUK declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
PUK broke above its upper Bollinger Band on June 25, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on June 04, 2025. You may want to consider a long position or call options on PUK as a result. In of 85 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for PUK just turned positive on June 24, 2025. Looking at past instances where PUK's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 45 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where PUK advanced for three days, in of 297 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 187 cases where PUK Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. PUK’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to consistent earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (1.465) is normal, around the industry mean (1.496). P/E Ratio (15.339) is within average values for comparable stocks, (39.438). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.424) is also within normal values, averaging (0.675). Dividend Yield (0.022) settles around the average of (0.124) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (2.179) is also within normal values, averaging (2.172).
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating weak sales and an unprofitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. PUK’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 69, placing this stock worse than average.
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Fundamental Analysis Ratings
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General Information
a holding company with interest in providing insurance and financial services
Industry LifeHealthInsurance
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