Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFGGet Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $109.89 and last traded at $109.21, with a volume of 1569917 shares. The stock had previously closed at $106.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $96.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore set a $108.00 target price on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Raymond James Financial cut Principal Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $99.00 to $111.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.10.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 2.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.62, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.33.

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

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Principal Financial Group

In other news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 9,183 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.26, for a total transaction of $929,870.58. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 77,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,816,056.88. This represents a 10.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel George Djurasovic sold 2,571 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the general counsel owned 21,906 shares in the company, valued at $2,208,781.98. The trade was a 10.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,317 shares of company stock valued at $2,884,902 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the first quarter worth $28,000. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Principal Financial Group

(Get Free Report)

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.

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