Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for PFG Earnings

Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Principal Financial Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, July 2nd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will earn $2.08 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.09. The consensus estimate for Principal Financial Group’s current full-year earnings is $8.50 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Principal Financial Group’s Q1 2026 earnings at $2.01 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.83 by ($0.02). Principal Financial Group had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 14.68%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share.

PFG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Principal Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.38.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

PFG opened at $80.88 on Friday. Principal Financial Group has a 1 year low of $68.39 and a 1 year high of $91.98. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.56. The stock has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.99.

Institutional Trading of Principal Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 151.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 11,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $864,000 after buying an additional 6,731 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,448,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,129,000 after buying an additional 44,818 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 410,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,810,000 after acquiring an additional 11,187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.10%.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group, Inc provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Asset Management, and Benefits and Protection segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides retirement, and related financial products and services.