GoalVest Advisory LLC Raises Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,278 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the third quarter worth $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 53.6% during the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Principal Financial Group Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PFG opened at $81.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.21 and a 12-month high of $91.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $81.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.25. The company has a market capitalization of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.22.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.26). Principal Financial Group had a negative net margin of 1.47% and a positive return on equity of 14.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.01 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 price target (down previously from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $84.25.

About Principal Financial Group

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.