Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Shares Bought by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 142.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 104,647 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,439 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $8,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,462,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,534,000 after acquiring an additional 118,722 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,448,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,129,000 after acquiring an additional 44,818 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,359,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,511,000 after acquiring an additional 264,383 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 806,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,293,000 after acquiring an additional 88,179 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 665,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,509,000 after acquiring an additional 125,198 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.92.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock opened at $83.24 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.28 and its 200-day moving average is $83.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.21 and a 12-month high of $91.98.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is 44.91%.

Principal Financial Group Profile

Principal Financial Group, Inc provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Asset Management, and Benefits and Protection segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides retirement, and related financial products and services.