UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,877,246 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 209,885 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.82% of Principal Financial Group worth $145,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $771,000. Columbus Macro LLC increased its position in Principal Financial Group by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 25,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 135.6% in the 4th quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 22,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,739,000 after buying an additional 12,933 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 2,064.3% in the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 148,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,480,000 after purchasing an additional 141,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 630.3% in the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 25,014 shares of the company's stock worth $1,936,000 after acquiring an additional 21,589 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PFG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.85.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

PFG stock traded up $0.47 during trading on Thursday, hitting $78.14. 392,603 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,319,176. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.39 and a 52 week high of $91.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.01. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.81.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by ($0.02). Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.10%.

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.