Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 32,081 shares of the company’s stock after selling 880 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $2,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PFG. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 81.7% in the third quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 556 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the third quarter worth $41,000. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.09.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $80.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $18.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.62. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.17 and a fifty-two week high of $86.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.06% and a net margin of 8.70%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.58 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a $0.69 dividend. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 52.67%.

Principal Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Monday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 7.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About Principal Financial Group

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.