Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.03), Briefing.com reports. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. Principal Financial Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 9.010-9.260 EPS.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE PFG opened at $95.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $90.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.38. Principal Financial Group has a 1 year low of $68.39 and a 1 year high of $97.88.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PFG. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $92.88.

Insider Transactions at Principal Financial Group

In related news, EVP Wee Yee Cheong sold 1,887 shares of Principal Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.04, for a total transaction of $160,470.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,421 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,924,041.84. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $13,713,260.16. This represents a 6.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,852 shares of company stock valued at $2,512,930. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in Principal Financial Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 3.4% in the second quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 7,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 11.7% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 62,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,950,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

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.