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

Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $93.8889.

Several research firms recently weighed in on PFG. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $85.00 to $91.00 in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 target price on Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Principal Financial Group

In other news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $697,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,998,660. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 24,965 shares of company stock worth $2,352,460 over the last three months. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Principal Financial Group by 5,533.3% during the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:PFG opened at $95.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.88. Principal Financial Group has a 1-year low of $68.39 and a 1-year high of $97.88.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.03). Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%.During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Principal Financial Group will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

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

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.