Charles Lowrey, Chairman and CEO, commented on results: “The first quarter of 2019 marked a solid start to the year for Prudential. We accelerated our strategy to bring greater financial opportunity to more customers. We produced an adjusted operating return on equity, at the higher end of our 12-13% target, increased our book value per share, and generated good business fundamentals. With a foundation of a rock-solid balance sheet, we continued to return capital totaling $915 million to shareholders via share repurchases and dividends.”