Groupe la Francaise Has $3.57 Million Stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,174 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,469 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $3,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in PFG. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Curio Wealth LLC increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 37,800.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 163.4% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PFG shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Principal Financial Group from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $81.00 in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.90.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE PFG opened at $85.94 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $82.48 and its 200-day moving average is $80.22. 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 $68.39 and a 12-month high of $90.31.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.12. Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 14.68%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 3rd. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.00%.

Insider Activity at Principal Financial Group

In other news, EVP Wee Yee Cheong sold 1,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.04, for a total value of $160,470.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 81,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,924,041.84. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.