Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 378,394 Shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,443,203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 378,394 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 1.61% of Helix Energy Solutions Group worth $22,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HLX. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 61.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,136 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 3,491 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $130,000. Institutional investors own 91.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE:HLX opened at $7.91 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 197.67 and a beta of 2.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.75. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.76 and a 12 month high of $13.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Helix Energy Solutions Group news, COO Scott Andrew Sparks sold 170,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.87, for a total value of $1,677,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 112,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,111,697.58. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Diana Glassman sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total transaction of $159,040.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,133 shares in the company, valued at $259,762.02. The trade was a 37.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 269,991 shares of company stock worth $2,607,137. 6.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.