Principal Financial Group, Inc. $PFG Shares Purchased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) by 20.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 131,728 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,999 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $11,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 6,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 14.8% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 4,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Principal Financial Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. 75.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore set a $108.00 price target on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Principal Financial Group from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.75.

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:PFG opened at $113.18 on Thursday. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.00 and a fifty-two week high of $114.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $108.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $24.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.88.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ:PFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.50 EPS 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 16.49%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.84 per share. This is an increase from Principal Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Principal Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.92%.

Principal Financial Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat expectations. Principal Financial reported adjusted earnings of $2.50 per share, above the $2.33 consensus estimate and up from $2.16 a year earlier. Stronger underwriting revenue, higher total revenue and margin expansion supported the results, although revenue of $3.99 billion was below the $4.11 billion estimate. PFG Q2 Earnings Beat on Solid Underwriting, Revenues Rise Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong earnings growth. The Q2 earnings call and presentation emphasized operating momentum and solid underwriting performance, which may reinforce confidence in PFG’s earnings outlook. Principal Financial Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights Principal Financial Group 2026 Q2 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend increased. PFG declared a quarterly dividend of $0.84 per share, up 2.4% from $0.82, with an indicated yield of approximately 2.9%. The dividend is payable September 25 to shareholders of record September 3. Principal Financial Group Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings-call transcript provides additional details on management’s outlook, operating results and capital priorities, but does not introduce a separate major catalyst beyond the reported quarterly results. Principal Financial Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America remains bearish. The firm raised its price target from $94 to $104 but retained an “underperform” rating, leaving its target below PFG’s recent trading level. This signals concern that the stock’s strong run has outpaced its expected upside.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Wee Yee Cheong sold 7,534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.16, for a total transaction of $777,207.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 66,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,854,259.88. The trade was a 10.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,928 shares of company stock worth $2,038,004. 1.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Principal Financial Group 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.