Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Grows Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 92,980 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $7,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PFG. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 398.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 291,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,555,000 after buying an additional 232,915 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 85.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 466,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,041,000 after buying an additional 215,045 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Principal Financial Group by 41.0% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 503,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,367,000 after acquiring an additional 146,473 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in Principal Financial Group by 818.1% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 152,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,112,000 after acquiring an additional 136,021 shares during the period. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its position in Principal Financial Group by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 665,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,509,000 after acquiring an additional 125,198 shares during the period. 75.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Principal Financial Group stock opened at $89.04 on Friday. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $72.21 and a 12-month high of $91.97. The stock has a market cap of $20.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.33, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PFG shares. 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 report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.92.

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.