Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Stock Position Decreased by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co lessened its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,829 shares of the company’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PFG. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 5.0% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 11,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $965,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 66.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 24,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,137,000 after purchasing an additional 9,933 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Principal Financial Group by 358.7% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 12,768 shares during the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,475,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 3.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 231,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,867,000 after buying an additional 6,817 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock opened at $81.83 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $72.21 and a one year high of $91.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -90.92, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.22.

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 positive return on equity of 14.67% and a negative net margin of 1.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 target price (down previously from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price 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. Bank of America decreased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.92.

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.