Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Shares Acquired by GoalVest Advisory LLC

GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,278 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. City Holding Co. grew its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 1,177 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 25,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,011,000 after buying an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $1,663,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of PFG opened at $81.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $81.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.25. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $72.21 and a twelve month high of $91.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.22.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down previously from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $91.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays upped their price target on Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Principal Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.25.

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.