Capital One Financial Corporation $COF Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) by 1.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 693,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,684 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Capital One Financial were worth $147,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COF. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Capital One Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Capital One Financial by 66.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the second quarter valued at $28,000. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Capital One Financial Trading Up 2.3%

Capital One Financial stock opened at $223.87 on Tuesday. Capital One Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $143.22 and a 52 week high of $259.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $235.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.45.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by ($0.28). Capital One Financial had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. Capital One Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 53.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 15.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Capital One Financial

In other news, insider Frank G. LapradeIii sold 17,840 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.03, for a total value of $3,961,015.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,315 shares in the company, valued at $10,727,379.45. This represents a 26.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Celia Karam sold 2,936 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.15, for a total transaction of $640,488.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 63,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,837,908.95. This trade represents a 4.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 89,922 shares of company stock worth $20,480,489. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research lowered their target price on Capital One Financial from $294.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $263.00 to $256.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. HSBC reduced their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $234.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BTIG Research dropped their price target on Capital One Financial from $308.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Capital One Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Capital One Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.70.

About Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The company’s core businesses include credit card lending, consumer and commercial banking, and auto finance. Capital One issues a wide range of credit card products for consumers and small businesses, and it operates deposit and digital banking services aimed at retail customers and small to midsize enterprises.

Products and services include credit and charge cards, checking and savings accounts (including the online-focused Capital One 360 platform), auto loans, and commercial lending solutions.