Wells Fargo & Company Upgrades Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) to Equal Weight

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) was upgraded by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $91.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential downside of 4.06% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on PFG. Bank of America lifted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $93.89.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE PFG opened at $94.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $20.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s 50 day moving average is $91.56 and its 200-day moving average is $85.55. Principal Financial Group has a 12-month low of $68.39 and a 12-month high of $97.88.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Principal Financial Group 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 transaction of $697,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 136,828 shares in the company, valued at $12,998,660. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 24,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,352,460 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $273,276,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 112.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,348,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,138,000 after buying an additional 1,244,668 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Principal Financial Group by 9.6% during 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 buying an additional 1,083,991 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 62.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,023,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,800,000 after acquiring an additional 776,997 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 57.6% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,791,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,213,000 after acquiring an additional 654,408 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.