Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) CEO Sells $27,750.00 in Stock

Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) CEO Deanna Strable-Soethout sold 300 shares of Principal Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.50, for a total transaction of $27,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 62,252 shares in the company, valued at $5,758,310. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

PFG stock traded down $0.06 on Monday, hitting $90.23. 644,535 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 971,847. The stock has a market cap of $20.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.39 and a 1-year high of $92.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $86.78 and a 200-day moving average of $82.55.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $2.05 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 3rd. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the second quarter worth $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 5,533.3% in the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 37,800.0% in the 2nd quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the period. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PFG shares. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 price target on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $91.60.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

Principal Financial Group, commonly known as Principal, is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm provides a broad range of retirement, investment management and insurance solutions for individual, employer and institutional clients. Its core businesses include retirement plan services and recordkeeping, asset management, and life and disability insurance, supported by distribution through employers, financial advisors and direct channels.

On the retirement side, Principal offers 401(k) and other workplace retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuity products designed to help clients accumulate and manage retirement savings.