Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Position Increased by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC lifted its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 139,485 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,536 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $10,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PFG. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Principal Financial Group from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $95.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.57.

Principal Financial Group Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE:PFG opened at $69.56 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $83.36 and its 200-day moving average is $83.36. The company has a market cap of $15.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.01. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.53 and a 52-week high of $91.98.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $0.75 dividend. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.31%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

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.