North Star Asset Management Inc. Reduces Stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG

North Star Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 395,121 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,798 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group makes up 1.3% of North Star Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. North Star Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.18% of Principal Financial Group worth $32,759,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PFG. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 13.9% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 124,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,313,000 after buying an additional 15,146 shares in the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 5,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares during the period. Compound Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PFG opened at $94.85 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.56 and its 200 day moving average is $85.55. The stock has a market cap of $20.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.39 and a 1-year high of $97.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.03). Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 14.68%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. Principal Financial Group’s payout ratio is 60.72%.

Insider Activity at Principal Financial Group

In other news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.12, for a total value of $884,616.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 144,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,713,260.16. The trade was a 6.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 24,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,352,460 in the last quarter. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $93.22.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group, commonly known as Principal, is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm provides a broad range of retirement, investment management and insurance solutions for individual, employer and institutional clients. Its core businesses include retirement plan services and recordkeeping, asset management, and life and disability insurance, supported by distribution through employers, financial advisors and direct channels.

On the retirement side, Principal offers 401(k) and other workplace retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuity products designed to help clients accumulate and manage retirement savings.