Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG Stock Position Raised by Cwm LLC

Key Points

• Cwm LLC boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 91.4% in Q4, buying an additional 20,771 shares to hold 43,486 shares worth about $3.84 million.
• CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares on January 29 for roughly $884,616 (avg. $95.12), reducing her position by 6.06%; insiders now own about 1.08% of the stock.
• Principal pays a quarterly dividend of $0.80 ($3.20 annualized) for a 3.3% yield and a 60.7% payout ratio; the stock trades near its one-year high with a $21.11 billion market cap and an analyst consensus of "Hold" with a $93.44 target.

Cwm LLC increased its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG - Free Report) by 91.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,486 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,771 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC's holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $3,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PFG. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 3,754.5% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 424 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in Principal Financial Group by 315.7% in the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 424 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Principal Financial Group news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total transaction of $884,616.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,713,260.16. The trade was a 6.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ:PFG opened at $97.43 on Thursday. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.54 and a 1 year high of $97.88. The stock has a market cap of $21.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $91.40 and a 200-day moving average of $88.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $4.58 billion for the quarter. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.09% and a net margin of 7.58%. Equities analysts predict that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 9.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "hold" rating and set a $92.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $93.44.

Principal Financial Group Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.