Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Bank of America Analyst Says

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) had its price objective hoisted by stock analysts at Bank of America from $94.00 to $104.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underperform” rating on the stock. Bank of America‘s price objective points to a potential downside of 8.61% from the company’s current price.

PFG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $111.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.75.

Principal Financial Group Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:PFG traded up $2.50 on Tuesday, reaching $113.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,270,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,516,277. Principal Financial Group has a twelve month low of $75.00 and a twelve month high of $114.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $108.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 10.10%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Principal Financial Group will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Principal Financial Group

In related news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 9,183 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.26, for a total value of $929,870.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 77,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,816,056.88. This trade represents a 10.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 25,746 shares of company stock worth $2,625,668 over the last three months. 1.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFG. Annex Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Tema ETFs LLC lifted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 5,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 72.8% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 29,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,135,000 after purchasing an additional 12,250 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 964 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 13.3% during the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 9,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the period. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Principal Financial Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter earnings exceeded expectations: PFG reported non-GAAP operating earnings of $2.50 per diluted share, above the $2.33 analyst consensus and up from $2.16 a year earlier. Net income attributable to the company was $403 million, while non-GAAP net income excluding exited businesses was $535 million. Principal Financial Group Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased: Principal Financial declared a quarterly dividend of $0.84 per share, up 2.4% from $0.82. The dividend is payable September 25 to shareholders of record September 3, implying an annualized payout of $3.36 and an indicated yield of about 3.0%. This supports the stock’s income appeal and signals management confidence in cash generation.
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability remained solid: The company reported a 10.10% net margin and 16.25% return on equity, metrics that reinforce the earnings beat and provide a favorable backdrop for valuation. Principal Financial Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates: Quarterly revenue was $3.99 billion, below the $4.11 billion consensus. The shortfall offsets part of the benefit from stronger-than-expected earnings and helps explain why the stock’s reaction was more measured despite the EPS beat. Principal Financial Q2 Earnings Metrics Versus Estimates

About Principal Financial Group

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.