Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) Sets New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $94.00 to $104.00. Bank of America currently has an underperform rating on the stock. Principal Financial Group traded as high as $114.95 and last traded at $114.35, with a volume of 76030 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.09.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Principal Financial Group from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.75.

Insider Transactions at Principal Financial Group

In related news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 9,183 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.26, for a total transaction of $929,870.58. Following the transaction, the insider owned 77,188 shares in the company, valued at $7,816,056.88. This trade represents a 10.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 24,666 shares of company stock worth $2,516,588. Company insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Principal Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings exceeded expectations. Non-GAAP operating earnings were $2.50 per share, above the $2.33 consensus and up from $2.16 a year earlier. Results benefited from stronger underwriting revenue and margin expansion, although expenses were higher. PFG Q2 Earnings Beat on Solid Underwriting, Revenues Rise Year over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong earnings growth on the Q2 call. The earnings presentation and conference call provided additional detail on operating performance and the company’s outlook, reinforcing the favorable profit trend. Principal Financial Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend raised 2.4%. PFG increased its dividend to $0.84 per share from $0.82, payable September 25 to shareholders of record September 3. The indicated yield is approximately 2.9%, improving the stock’s income appeal. Principal Financial Group Raises Income Appeal
• Neutral Sentiment: Headline results were mixed. Revenue increased year over year but reached $3.99 billion, below the $4.11 billion analyst estimate. Net income attributable to PFG was $403 million, while adjusted operating earnings excluding exited business were $547 million. Principal Financial Group Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America remains cautious. The firm raised its price target from $94 to $104 but retained an “underperform” rating, implying roughly 8.8% downside from the recently quoted $114.09 price. This may weigh on sentiment after PFG’s strong run. Bank of America Price Target Update

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Principal Financial Group by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,370,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083,991 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Principal Financial Group by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,886,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,187,000 after purchasing an additional 119,327 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 23.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,376,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,970,000 after purchasing an additional 636,334 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $273,276,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,079,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,674,000 after buying an additional 55,669 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 0.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $24.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $108.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.61% and a net margin of 9.93%.During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.92%.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG) is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides a range of retirement, investment and insurance solutions to individuals, employers and institutional clients. The firm’s business is organized around retirement services, asset management, and insurance products designed to help clients plan, invest for, and protect income over the long term.

Principal’s product and service offerings include retirement plan recordkeeping and administration for employer-sponsored plans, individual and group retirement annuities, life and disability insurance, employee benefits solutions, and wealth management services.