Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $84.92.

Several brokerages have recently commented on PFG. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Principal Financial Group from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 target price (down previously from $86.00) on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, December 5th.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $81.83 on Friday. 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 has a one year low of $72.21 and a one year high of $91.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $80.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $82.24. The company has a market capitalization of $18.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.22.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.26). The firm 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group will post 7.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $50,000. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Principal Financial Group

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.