Aberdeen Group plc Sells 8,393 Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 161,708 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,393 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.07% of Principal Financial Group worth $14,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital A Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 5,533.3% in the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 3,754.5% in the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 87.9% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of PFG stock opened at $91.06 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $91.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.66. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $68.39 and a one year high of $97.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.09% and a net margin of 7.58%.The business had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter.

Principal Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Principal Financial Group news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $697,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 136,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,998,660. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 24,965 shares of company stock worth $2,352,460. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on PFG shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Principal Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.22.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG) is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides a range of retirement, investment and insurance solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. The firm’s business is organized around retirement services, asset management, and insurance products designed to help clients plan, invest for, and protect income over the long term.

Principal’s product and service offerings include retirement plan recordkeeping and administration for employer-sponsored plans, individual and group retirement annuities, life and disability insurance, employee benefits solutions, and wealth management services.