1,757 Shares in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Purchased by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,757 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $151,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PFG. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 4.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 17,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 25,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,194,000 after purchasing an additional 4,442 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 75.4% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 14,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,264,000 after purchasing an additional 6,294 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 200.5% during the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 10,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $900,000 after purchasing an additional 6,958 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 12.9% during the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $82.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $18.88 billion, a PE ratio of -91.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $84.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.91. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $68.69 and a 52-week high of $91.97.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.26). The business had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Principal Financial Group had a negative net margin of 1.47% and a positive return on equity of 14.67%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -320.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on PFG shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Raymond James upgraded Principal Financial Group from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $99.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $85.58.

Principal Financial Group Company 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.