StepStone Group Inc. $STEP Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in StepStone Group Inc. (NASDAQ:STEP) by 49.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 487,461 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 160,318 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.42% of StepStone Group worth $31,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in StepStone Group by 72.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 3,843 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of StepStone Group by 6.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 14,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of StepStone Group by 6.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 39,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,068,000 after acquiring an additional 2,238 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of StepStone Group by 21.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 357,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,661,000 after acquiring an additional 63,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in StepStone Group in the first quarter valued at about $209,000. 55.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

StepStone Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:STEP opened at $62.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.00 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.04. StepStone Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.07 and a 12-month high of $77.79.

StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $241.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $363.92 million. StepStone Group had a positive return on equity of 26.11% and a negative net margin of 30.66%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 102.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that StepStone Group Inc. will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

StepStone Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. StepStone Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on StepStone Group from $84.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research raised shares of StepStone Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of StepStone Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore set a $73.00 target price on shares of StepStone Group in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 price target on shares of StepStone Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.75.

More StepStone Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting StepStone Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $91 from $84 and reiterated an “Overweight” rating, implying roughly 45.8% upside from the current share price — a clear catalyst for buyer interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 EPS beat: STEP reported $0.65 EPS vs. consensus ~$0.60, giving investors confidence in underlying profitability trends. Several outlets flagged the earnings beat. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management expanded to roughly $171B, up about $8B sequentially — a sign of continued fundraising/flows that supports fee revenue longer term. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.28/share (annualized yield ~1.8%), signaling capital return to shareholders and helping attract income-focused investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strategy tailwinds: coverage and company commentary highlight growth from private-wealth channels and product diversification (helpful amid AI-related market shifts), supporting a more bullish growth narrative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the Q3 earnings slide deck and earnings-call materials (useful for due diligence but informational rather than a fresh catalyst). Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings-call transcripts and analyst write-ups are available for review; these help investors parse guidance and fees but are follow-up detail. Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue shortfall vs. some expectations: reported revenue of ~$241.1M was well below the consensus figure cited by some services (~$363.9M), and the company still shows a negative net margin (~-40%), which could pressure sentiment if investors focus on top-line durability and profitability conversion. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jose A. Fernandez sold 70,402 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.30, for a total transaction of $4,386,044.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael I. Mccabe sold 74,214 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.14, for a total transaction of $4,908,513.96. Following the sale, the insider owned 122,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,082,903.26. The trade was a 37.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 362,858 shares of company stock worth $23,422,844. 16.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

StepStone Group Company Profile

StepStone Group is a global private markets investment firm that provides specialized investment solutions across private equity, private credit and real assets. The firm offers customized portfolios, secondary interests, direct co-investments and tailored advisory services to institutional investors worldwide. StepStone’s integrated research and data analytics platform supports its investment teams in sourcing opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies.

Founded in 2007 as an independent private markets specialist, the company has grown its presence through both organic expansion and strategic partnerships.