Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Has $6.23 Million Stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management raised its stake in Principal Financial Group by 33.3% in Q4 to 70,591 shares, now worth about $6.23 million, and institutional investors collectively own 75.08% of PFG.
• CEO Deanna Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares on January 30 (~$697,300), and insiders have sold 24,665 shares worth roughly $2.32 million in the past three months, leaving insiders with 1.08% ownership.
• Principal declared a $0.80 quarterly dividend ($3.20 annualized, 3.4% yield) and reported Q4 EPS of $2.20; the stock has a market cap of about $20.5B, a P/E of 17.97, and an analyst consensus of "Hold" with an average target of $93.44.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG - Free Report) by 33.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,591 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,651 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $6,227,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,370,852 shares of the company's stock valued at $982,617,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,991 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,376,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,970,000 after acquiring an additional 636,334 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 62.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,023,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,800,000 after acquiring an additional 776,997 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,615,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,951,000 after acquiring an additional 33,490 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 84.9% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,103,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,856,000 after acquiring an additional 506,841 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Principal Financial Group news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $697,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,998,660. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 24,665 shares of company stock worth $2,324,710. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of PFG stock opened at $94.68 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.09. 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 12 month low of $69.80 and a 12 month high of $97.88.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter. Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 16.09%.

Principal Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group's payout ratio is 60.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFG has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $93.44.

About Principal Financial Group

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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