Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Grows Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) by 26.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 393,629 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 81,464 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.18% of Principal Financial Group worth $34,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Principal Financial Group by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 22.3% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 713 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,144,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 907 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Principal Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $697,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 136,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,998,660. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 24,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,352,460 over the last quarter. 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ PFG opened at $88.94 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $91.67 and its 200 day moving average is $87.09. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.39 and a 52 week high of $97.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $19.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.87.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter. Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 16.09%.

Principal Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.72%.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

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.