Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $1.95 Million Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 145.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 22,131 shares worth about $1.95 million.
• Analysts remain cautious on PFG overall: the stock has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $98.10, even after several firms adjusted targets and ratings.
• Principal Financial Group raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 per share, up from $0.80, implying an annualized dividend of $3.28 and a yield of about 3.1%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG - Free Report) by 145.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,131 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,131 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PFG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 343.6% in the fourth quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 346 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the third quarter worth $32,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 3,754.5% in the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 424 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "hold" rating and issued a $92.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $98.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Principal Financial Group

In other Principal Financial Group news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 7,534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.16, for a total value of $777,207.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 66,443 shares in the company, valued at $6,854,259.88. This represents a 10.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel George Djurasovic sold 2,571 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.83, for a total value of $259,233.93. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 21,906 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,208,781.98. This trade represents a 10.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 28,317 shares of company stock worth $2,884,902. Company insiders own 1.13% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of PFG opened at $104.57 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.00 and a 1 year high of $105.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.89. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $95.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.85.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.11 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 10.10%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.78%.

Principal Financial Group Profile

Principal Financial Group NASDAQ: PFG is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides a range of retirement, investment and insurance solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. The firm's business is organized around retirement services, asset management, and insurance products designed to help clients plan, invest for, and protect income over the long term.

Principal's product and service offerings include retirement plan recordkeeping and administration for employer-sponsored plans, individual and group retirement annuities, life and disability insurance, employee benefits solutions, and wealth management services.

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