21,477 Shares in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Bought by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 21,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,663,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PFG. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Principal Financial Group by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of PFG stock traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $81.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,219,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 982,518. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $72.21 and a 1-year high of $91.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $18.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -90.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.35 and a 200 day moving average of $82.18.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. Principal Financial Group had a negative net margin of 1.47% and a positive return on equity of 14.67%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.01 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -324.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PFG. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.25.

Principal Financial Group Company 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.