Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC Buys 195 Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 53.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 559 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $43,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PFG. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the third quarter worth $45,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $80.00 target price (down previously from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.75.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 2.5 %

NYSE:PFG opened at $76.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.46 billion, a PE ratio of -84.82, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.21 and a 52-week high of $91.97.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is -324.44%.

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.