Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Boosts Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 310,103 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,906 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.14% of Principal Financial Group worth $26,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,693 shares of the company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 11,241 shares of the company's stock worth $870,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 29,345 shares of the company's stock worth $2,272,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 684 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 25,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,097,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:PFG traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $75.90. 1,263,212 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,330,818. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $68.39 and a one year high of $91.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business's 50 day moving average is $76.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.00.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.83 by ($0.02). Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 14.68%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 65.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.85.

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.