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

Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $105.75.

PFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a “sell” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $101.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st.

Trending Headlines about Principal Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat expectations: PFG reported second-quarter non-GAAP operating earnings of $2.50 per share, above the $2.33 consensus estimate and up from $2.16 a year earlier. Results were supported by stronger underwriting revenue, higher overall revenue and margin expansion. PFG Q2 Earnings Beat on Solid Underwriting, Revenues Rise Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Healthy operating results highlighted: The company reported $547 million in non-GAAP operating earnings and $535 million in non-GAAP net income excluding exited businesses. Management’s earnings call emphasized strong earnings growth and operating momentum. Principal Financial Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased: PFG raised its quarterly dividend to $0.84 per share from $0.82, a 2.4% increase. The dividend carries an annualized yield of approximately 3%, reinforcing the stock’s income appeal. Principal Financial Group Raises Income Appeal
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed forecasts: Quarterly revenue was $3.99 billion, below the $4.11 billion consensus estimate, though the earnings beat and improved profitability outweighed the shortfall for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst remains cautious: Bank of America raised its price target from $94 to $104 but kept an “underperform” rating, implying potential downside from recent trading levels. Bank of America Price Target Update

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Principal Financial Group news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 9,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were 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 approximately $7,816,056.88. This represents a 10.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 24,666 shares of company stock worth $2,516,588 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Principal Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC bought a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the first quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ PFG opened at $114.09 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $108.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. Principal Financial Group has a 52-week low of $75.00 and a 52-week high of $114.90. The company has a market capitalization of $24.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.17. Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 16.61%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Principal Financial Group will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.