Two Sigma Advisers LP Grows Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG - Free Report) by 318.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 85,400 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 65,000 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $6,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $217,021,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 73.5% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,482,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $114,726,000 after acquiring an additional 627,865 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,662,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $283,546,000 after purchasing an additional 326,604 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 24.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,359,779 shares of the company's stock worth $106,511,000 after purchasing an additional 264,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 398.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 291,379 shares of the company's stock worth $22,555,000 after purchasing an additional 232,915 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company's stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock traded down $1.22 on Wednesday, hitting $77.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,061,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,321,009. The stock has a market cap of $17.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.39 and a 52-week high of $91.98. The company's 50 day moving average price is $77.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.83.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 65.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays decreased 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 note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Four 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $83.85.

Principal Financial Group Profile

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.