Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Purchases 277 Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,257 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 277 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $1,311,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the second quarter worth $43,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 55.6% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PFG. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Bank of America cut 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 report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $85.58.

Principal Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $86.64 on Thursday. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $70.22 and a 1 year high of $91.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $85.18 and its 200 day moving average is $82.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is -320.00%.

Principal Financial Group 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.