Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Position Cut by Dean Investment Associates LLC

Dean Investment Associates LLC decreased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 56,279 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,144 shares during the quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $4,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 144.3% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 540 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Principal Financial Group by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PFG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $68.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Principal Financial Group from $77.00 to $65.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.69.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock opened at $71.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.82. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.39 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

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.