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Principal Financial (PFG)
:PFG

Principal Financial (PFG) AI Stock Analysis

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PFG

Principal Financial

(NASDAQ:PFG)

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Outperform 76 (OpenAI - 4o)
Rating:76Outperform
Price Target:
$95.00
▲(6.80% Upside)
Principal Financial's strong valuation and positive earnings call sentiment are key strengths, supported by solid financial performance and technical indicators. The company's attractive P/E ratio and dividend yield enhance its investment appeal. While there are some concerns about cash flow trends and private market challenges, the overall outlook remains positive.
Positive Factors
Revenue Growth
Consistent revenue growth and margin expansion demonstrate effective strategic execution and a strong market position, supporting long-term financial stability.
Strong Capital Returns
Robust capital returns through dividends and buybacks reflect strong cash generation and management's commitment to shareholder value, enhancing investor confidence.
Global Asset Management Growth
Significant growth in asset management sales indicates strong demand and effective market penetration, supporting sustained revenue and profit growth.
Negative Factors
Actuarial Assumption Impact
Unfavorable impacts from actuarial assumptions can affect earnings predictability, posing a risk to financial performance and strategic planning.
Private Market Challenges
Challenges in private markets may lead to increased risk exposure, affecting the company's ability to maintain stable returns and manage investments effectively.
Investment Performance Concerns
Underperformance in key investment products can impact client retention and asset inflows, potentially affecting long-term revenue growth and market competitiveness.

Principal Financial (PFG) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Principal Financial Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionPrincipal 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 Global Investors, Principal International, and U.S. Insurance Solutions segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides a portfolio of asset accumulation products and services for retirement savings and income. It offers products and services for defined contribution plans, including 401(k) and 403(b) plans, defined benefit pension plans, nonqualified executive benefit plans, employee stock ownership plans, equity compensation, and pension risk transfer services; individual retirement accounts; investment only products; and mutual funds, individual variable annuities, and bank products. The Principal Global Investors segment provides equity, fixed income, real estate, and other alternative investments, as well as asset allocation, stable value management, and other structured investment strategies. The Principal International segment offers pension accumulation products and services, mutual funds, asset management, income annuities, and life insurance accumulation products, as well as voluntary savings plans in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, India, and Southeast Asia. The U.S. Insurance Solutions segment provides specialty benefits, such as group dental and vision insurance, group life insurance, and group and individual disability insurance, as well as administers group dental, disability, and vision benefits; and individual life insurance products comprising universal, variable universal, indexed universal, and term life insurance products in the United States. It also offers insurance solutions for small and medium-sized businesses and their owners, as well as executives. Principal Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1879 and is based in Des Moines, Iowa.
How the Company Makes MoneyPrincipal Financial generates revenue through multiple key streams, primarily from fees and commissions associated with its investment management and insurance products. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment earns fees from managing retirement plans and providing annuities. Principal Global Investors contributes revenue through asset management fees based on the performance and size of investment portfolios managed for institutional and retail clients. The insurance segment generates income through premiums received from life and health insurance policies. Additionally, PFG benefits from strategic partnerships with other financial institutions and organizations, enhancing its distribution capabilities and expanding its client reach, which further contributes to its overall earnings.

Principal Financial Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Jul 28, 2025
(Q2-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Feb 03, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call reflects a strong financial performance marked by significant EPS growth, shareholder returns, and asset management achievements. However, challenges such as negative net cash flow, market volatility, and specific business segment hurdles like PRT and dental loss ratios present areas of concern. The company remains confident in meeting its 2025 financial targets.
Q2-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Strong EPS Growth
Adjusted non-GAAP earnings excluding significant variances were $469 million or $2.07, an 18% increase in EPS over 2024.
Record Capital Returns
Returned $320 million capital to shareholders in the second quarter, including $150 million of share repurchases and raised common stock dividend for the eighth consecutive quarter.
Asset Management Performance
Principal Asset Management AUM increased 5% sequentially with a 19% increase in sales over the prior year quarter driven by investment management sales.
Specialty Benefits and Life Insurance Growth
Specialty Benefits saw strong earnings growth of 10% with a margin expansion of 100 basis points. Life insurance delivered strong sales results driven by record nonqualified sales.
Recognition and Awards
Named one of the 2025 best places to work for disability inclusion and recognized in Newsweek's inaugural AI Impact Awards.
Negative Updates
Negative Net Cash Flow
Net cash flow was negative $2.6 billion in the quarter, although there was sequential improvement.
Volatile Market Impact
Volatility in markets impacted second quarter fee revenue, despite a rebound in May and June.
Challenges in Pension Risk Transfer
Pipeline of opportunities in PRT was smaller than expected, leading to disciplined focus on targeted returns over volume.
Dental Loss Ratio Concerns
Dental loss ratio remains elevated, although the overall benefits loss ratio is at the low end of the targeted range.
Company Guidance
During the Principal Financial Group's second quarter 2025 earnings call, the company reported an 18% increase in EPS over 2024, with adjusted non-GAAP earnings reaching $469 million or $2.07 per share. The company returned $320 million to shareholders, including $150 million in share repurchases, and increased its common stock dividend for the eighth consecutive quarter. Total company managed AUM reached $753 billion, marking a 5% increase over the sequential quarter. Despite a negative net cash flow of $2.6 billion, improvements were seen from global institutional clients. RIS sales rose by 7% year-over-year, with strong results in workplace savings and retirement solutions. Specialty Benefits saw a 10% growth in earnings, while the life insurance business achieved record nonqualified sales. Additionally, Principal Asset Management sales soared 19% over the previous year, with $10 billion sourced from international clients. The company remains confident in meeting its 2025 financial targets, driven by strategic execution and diversified business operations.

Principal Financial Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Principal Financial exhibits a stable financial position with strong cash generation capabilities and a conservative leverage profile. However, the decline in revenue growth and profitability margins in the TTM period suggests potential challenges in maintaining growth momentum. The company should focus on improving operational efficiency and exploring growth opportunities to enhance financial performance.
Income Statement
75
Positive
Principal Financial's income statement shows a mixed performance. The TTM data indicates a decline in revenue growth rate by 4.06%, reflecting challenges in maintaining top-line growth. However, the company maintains a stable gross profit margin of 45.11% and a net profit margin of 7.53%, which are respectable for the industry. The EBIT and EBITDA margins have decreased to 8.93%, indicating some pressure on operational efficiency.
Balance Sheet
70
Positive
The balance sheet is relatively strong with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, suggesting a conservative leverage position. The return on equity (ROE) is 10.14%, which is decent but has decreased from previous years, indicating a potential decline in shareholder returns. The equity ratio stands at 3.53%, showing a solid equity base relative to total assets.
Cash Flow
65
Positive
Cash flow analysis reveals a decline in free cash flow growth by 12.69% in the TTM period, which could impact future investments and dividends. However, the operating cash flow to net income ratio is robust at 181.59%, indicating strong cash generation relative to net income. The free cash flow to net income ratio is nearly 1, demonstrating efficient conversion of earnings into cash.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue15.80B16.13B13.67B17.54B14.43B14.74B
Gross Profit7.42B7.35B5.90B11.04B7.08B6.46B
EBITDA1.89B2.15B1.01B6.28B2.19B1.95B
Net Income1.57B1.57B623.20M4.76B1.58B1.40B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets334.49B313.66B305.05B303.00B304.66B313.47B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments31.99B29.94B70.38B67.74B80.49B81.56B
Total Debt3.94B4.11B3.99B4.08B4.36B4.36B
Total Liabilities322.36B302.19B293.84B292.70B288.20B296.60B
Stockholders Equity11.67B11.09B10.92B10.00B16.07B16.56B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow4.17B4.53B3.69B3.06B3.09B3.63B
Operating Cash Flow4.25B4.60B3.79B3.17B3.22B3.74B
Investing Cash Flow-4.80B-5.40B-1.35B1.06B-5.66B-5.03B
Financing Cash Flow-484.40M300.30M-2.59B-1.72B1.92B1.62B

Principal Financial Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price88.95
Price Trends
50DMA
83.31
Positive
100DMA
81.22
Positive
200DMA
78.99
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
1.93
Negative
RSI
61.08
Neutral
STOCH
54.93
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For PFG, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 88.95 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 87.01, above the 50-day MA of 83.31, and above the 200-day MA of 78.99, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 1.93 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 61.08 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 54.93 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for PFG.

Principal Financial Risk Analysis

Principal Financial disclosed 56 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Principal Financial reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Principal Financial Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
79
Outperform
$34.77B9.0317.81%16.68%-28.54%
78
Outperform
$38.55B11.3020.07%1.55%7.11%22.52%
76
Outperform
$19.63B13.0113.74%3.46%12.33%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
64
Neutral
$11.80B8.2314.42%5.86%-6.19%
60
Neutral
$46.48B15.447.68%2.03%-23.02%52.43%
40
Underperform
$13.76B-41.33%2.20%7.70%-155.12%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
PFG
Principal Financial
88.95
14.54
19.54%
AEG
Aegon
7.54
2.02
36.59%
AIG
American International Group
86.03
14.86
20.88%
ACGL
Arch Capital Group
96.20
5.21
5.73%
HIG
Hartford Insurance
139.01
31.36
29.13%
EQH
Equitable Holdings
48.02
2.47
5.42%

Principal Financial Corporate Events

Financial Disclosures
Principal Financial Reports $784.3 Billion in Assets
Neutral
Oct 16, 2025

As of September 30, 2025, Principal Financial Group reported assets under management totaling $784.3 billion. This includes $601.6 billion managed by Principal Asset Management – Investment Management and $150.7 billion managed by Principal Asset Management – International Pension. The report highlights the company’s exposure to various market segments, such as small and mid-cap equities, high yield securities, and emerging market exchange rates, which are crucial during periods of market volatility.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Dec 03, 2025