Bank of America Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) Stock

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Bank of America from $95.00 to $96.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Bank of America‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 0.07% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on PFG. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $93.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Principal Financial Group from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $93.22.

Principal Financial Group Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE PFG opened at $95.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Principal Financial Group has a 52 week low of $68.39 and a 52 week high of $97.88.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.03). Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. Principal Financial Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.010-9.260 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Principal Financial Group will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Principal Financial Group

In other Principal Financial Group news, CEO Deanna D. Strable-Soethout sold 7,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $697,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,998,660. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Wee Yee Cheong sold 1,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.04, for a total value of $160,470.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 81,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,924,041.84. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,852 shares of company stock worth $2,512,930. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Management Corp VA grew its position in Principal Financial Group by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 172,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,322,000 after acquiring an additional 27,857 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Principal Financial Group by 160.3% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 48,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,978,000 after purchasing an additional 30,118 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 41.5% during the third quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 127,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,504,000 after purchasing an additional 37,357 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Principal Financial Group by 98.0% during the second quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 4,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $1,486,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.08% of the company’s stock.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

Principal Financial Group, commonly known as Principal, is a global financial services company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The firm provides a broad range of retirement, investment management and insurance solutions for individual, employer and institutional clients. Its core businesses include retirement plan services and recordkeeping, asset management, and life and disability insurance, supported by distribution through employers, financial advisors and direct channels.

On the retirement side, Principal offers 401(k) and other workplace retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and annuity products designed to help clients accumulate and manage retirement savings.