O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $20.40 Million Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) by 15.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 231,285 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,728 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned 0.10% of Principal Financial Group worth $20,402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PFG. National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $998,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 47.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 50,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,630,000 after purchasing an additional 16,171 shares during the period. VCI Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $1,650,000. LBP AM SA bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $10,400,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $1,462,000. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Principal Financial Group news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 7,534 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.16, for a total transaction of $777,207.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 66,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,854,259.88. This represents a 10.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel George Djurasovic sold 2,571 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.83, for a total value of $259,233.93. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 21,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,208,781.98. This trade represents a 10.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,317 shares of company stock valued at $2,884,902. Insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PFG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Principal Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Principal Financial Group from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore set a $108.00 price target on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $87.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.10.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:PFG opened at $105.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.88. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.00 and a 52-week high of $105.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $98.31 and a 200 day moving average of $92.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 16.25%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.92%.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG) is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides a range of retirement, investment and insurance solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. The firm’s business is organized around retirement services, asset management, and insurance products designed to help clients plan, invest for, and protect income over the long term.

Principal’s product and service offerings include retirement plan recordkeeping and administration for employer-sponsored plans, individual and group retirement annuities, life and disability insurance, employee benefits solutions, and wealth management services.