B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Reduces Stock Position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lowered its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,458 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,961 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PFG. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $86.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.29. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $72.21 and a one year high of $91.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $84.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.76.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $92.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.57.

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.