Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Shares Bought by First Citizens Financial Corp

First Citizens Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,522 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 403.6% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 354,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,800,000 after acquiring an additional 284,067 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $19,698,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 41.0% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 503,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,367,000 after buying an additional 146,473 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 818.1% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 152,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,112,000 after acquiring an additional 136,021 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 6,593.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 132,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,356,000 after acquiring an additional 130,225 shares in the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Principal Financial Group stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $77.58. 226,455 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 460,069. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.21 and a twelve month high of $91.97. The company has a market cap of $17.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $82.48 and a 200-day moving average of $82.19.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.02 by ($0.26). The company had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.72 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.03 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.76%. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently -324.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PFG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 target price (down from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.75.

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.