The Prudential, the UK's second-largest insurance company may soon put a number of its UK businesses up for sale according to an investment analyst. 

The analyst, from JP Morgan Cazenove, said in a note that chief executive Mark Tucker was 'poised to take decisive strategic action to resolve operational problems in the UK'. The note went on to cite a possible sale price of around £6.4bn, based on 124 percent of its embedded value. However, other analysts have disagreed, saying that the Pru would be unlikely to fetch more than its embedded value of £5.6bn. 

Businesses likely to be sold include the company's closed life assurance business and its annuities arm, which could be either sold separately or as a package. Potential buyers for either or both of these businesses include Resolution, Sun Capital, Aegon and Swiss Re. 

The Prudential is also likely to want to offload its troubled online banking arm, Egg, for which it has repeatedly failed to find a buyer. 

Tucker has reportedly told a number of individuals that he will make a decision over the next few months, and analysts are pointing to the company's preliminary results date in March 2007 as a likely time for an announcement. 

Shares in the Prudential were up over 5 per cent at close of business yesterday amid the increasing sale speculation.