JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 46,225 Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 977,625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,225 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.44% of Principal Financial Group worth $81,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Management Corp VA raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 19.2% during the third quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 172,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,322,000 after acquiring an additional 27,857 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Principal Financial Group by 160.3% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 48,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,978,000 after purchasing an additional 30,118 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 41.5% in the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 127,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,504,000 after purchasing an additional 37,357 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the third quarter valued at about $18,526,000. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $1,486,000. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock opened at $92.69 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 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 $97.88. The company has a market cap of $20.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.42.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.03). Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 14.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 target price on Principal Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $93.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $884,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,168 shares in the company, valued at $13,713,260.16. This trade represents a 6.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders sold 24,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,352,460. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Principal Financial Group

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.