Victory Capital Management Inc. Trims Stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,906,748 shares of the company’s stock after selling 387,937 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 1.75% of Principal Financial Group worth $323,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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% in the third quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 172,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,322,000 after acquiring an additional 27,857 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 160.3% during 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 increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 41.5% during the 3rd 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 period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $18,526,000. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,486,000. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Principal Financial Group

In related news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $884,616.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 144,168 shares in the company, valued at $13,713,260.16. This represents a 6.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,352,460. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE PFG opened at $95.83 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.06. The company has a market capitalization of $20.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, 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 $97.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is 60.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PFG. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Principal Financial Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $93.89.

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.