Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in T-Mobile US, Inc. $TMUS

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,852,078 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after buying an additional 51,304 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of T-Mobile US worth $443,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PAX Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in T-Mobile US by 13.4% during the third quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of T-Mobile US during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in shares of T-Mobile US by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,959 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of T-Mobile US by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,537 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its stake in T-Mobile US by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,205,722 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $288,626,000 after acquiring an additional 39,468 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.49% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at T-Mobile US

In related news, CEO Srini Gopalan bought 9,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $201.82 per share, for a total transaction of $1,977,836.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 90,258 shares in the company, valued at $18,215,869.56. This trade represents a 12.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director G Michael Sievert sold 22,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.97, for a total transaction of $4,881,825.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 308,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,977,771.12. This trade represents a 6.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 51,457 shares of company stock valued at $11,149,636 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

T-Mobile US Stock Performance

T-Mobile US stock opened at $197.21 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $197.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.02. T-Mobile US, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.36 and a 52 week high of $276.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $220.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

T-Mobile US Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. T-Mobile US’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of T-Mobile US from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded T-Mobile US from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Scotiabank increased their target price on T-Mobile US from $271.50 to $278.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Oppenheimer downgraded T-Mobile US from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on T-Mobile US from $268.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.58.

About T-Mobile US

T-Mobile US is a national wireless carrier that provides mobile voice, messaging and data services to consumers, businesses and wholesale customers across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company operates a nationwide mobile network and offers device sales, equipment financing and support services through retail stores, online channels and distribution partners. T-Mobile positions its products around bundled service plans, device offerings and value-added features for both individual and enterprise customers.

Product offerings include postpaid and prepaid wireless plans under the T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile brands, as well as connectivity solutions for small and large businesses.