It seems fitting that the head of a firm whose symbol is the Rock of Gibraltar projects a certain steadfastness. John Strangfeld, 57, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial (PRU), has worked for the company for a remarkable 34 years, rising to the top post in January 2008. He's been married to the same person for three decades (naturally, they met at Prudential). And on most mornings, he does the same exercise routine, rising at 4:30 to get into the zone before heading to work.

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Having that kind of steadiness probably can't hurt when you're running the nation's second-largest life-insurance company during a time of nearly unprecedented financial turmoil. Analysts expect Prudential -- headquartered in Newark, N.J., since its inception 137 years ago -- to have $42.2 billion in revenue this year, a 10 percent increase from 2010. Despite the choppy economy, the company is in something of a growth mode, thanks to an increasing emphasis on its asset-management and annuity businesses as well as the recent acquisition of two Japanese insurers in a $4.8 billion deal. (Japan is expected to be a booming market for insurers.) Analysts, including John Nadel at Sterne Agee, are generally high on the firm -- which has more than $3 trillion in policies in force worldwide -- and have given particularly strong reviews of Strangfeld, who is credited with having a solid long-term plan.

Still, investors of late have been more skeptical. Prudential's stock price is off its high of $67 a year ago, and fell to as low as $42 in October, as worries have spread about how the insurer can fare in an environment marked by both ultralow interest rates and a hefty dose of stock market volatility. "Those are clear challenges for any large financial-services company," says Larry Greenberg, an analyst with Janney Capital Markets, who nevertheless maintains a buy rating on the stock. Strangfeld, who made more than $15 million in 2010, says that while such challenges are formidable, he's bullishly confident that Prudential's shares will rebound. And analysts say Prudential's recent $750 million share buyback should help on that front. Sterne Agee's Nadel, who has a price target of $70 on the stock, agrees: "Investor sentiment is very likely to improve."

SmartMoney caught up with Strangfeld in his 24th-floor office in downtown Newark to talk about new markets and when Prudential investors might see a bump in the Rock.

SmartMoney: Prudential has been steadily moving past its traditional life insurance business and focusing more on annuities and asset management. Why the change?

Strangfeld: We are very mindful that you have to maintain your relevance in the marketplace. For us, that has meant a couple of things. One is carrying on the tradition of traditional life insurance. But the second is recognizing that people are increasingly worried about outliving their money. Combine that with the fact that governments and corporations are asking individual investors to manage more of their own retirement and you've got a wide open space for us. We can provide people the equivalent of a pension check, thanks to a variety of products in which we are basically taking on the longevity and investment risk rather than expecting individuals to take on the risks themselves.

But as far as the traditional life portion goes, life insurance ownership is at an all-time low. Do you see any way to reverse that downward slope?

I wouldn't call it downward. I'd just call it a low-growth business. There's still no question that the country is underinsured. It's puzzling because most people have seen firsthand what can happen to a family financially when a breadwinner dies.

Prudential has not exactly been embraced by investors since the financial crisis of 2008 09. Is it paying the price for mistakes made by other financial firms?

Absolutely. Almost everyone got painted with the same brush. But if you like your business mix and you keep improving your products, you will eventually see that correlation between fundamentals and market outcomes. I also think we need to see the financial-services sector come back more overall, as other sectors already have.

What makes Japan such a great market for insurers?

Plenty of markets have the sizzle of potential growth. But Japan already has the substance. It's the world's largest market in terms of liquid assets -- larger than the U.S., in fact. And half of its population is at least 50 years old. Plus, it's a very risk-averse culture. When you add it all together, there's a lot of opportunity there.

Newark is a city with a history of crime, corruption and poverty. Why keep it as your headquarters?

We were founded here in 1875, and we're very proud of that. But you can't just be kind of here. You've got to do something about it. That's why we were behind the concert hall [Prudential Hall in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center]. That's why we were behind the arena [the Prudential Center]. We also do things in education and volunteer work. You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem, so we have got a very deep commitment.