Will Principal Financial Pull Off a Surprise in Q1 Earnings?

Core Viewpoint - Principal Financial Group, Inc. (PFG) is expected to report first-quarter 2025 earnings on April 24, with a consensus estimate of $1.85 per share, reflecting a 12.1$3.97 billion, marking a nearly 4.4% rise from the same quarter last year [3]. - Net investment income is expected to reach $1.1 billion, benefiting from higher yields and average invested assets [6]. Group 2: Expense and Performance Factors - Operating expenses are likely to increase to$1.3 billion due to higher benefits, claims, and settlement expenses [7]. - Investment Management is expected to see improved performance from higher management fee revenues, although this may be offset by lower performance fee revenues and increased variable compensation expenses [4]. Group 3: Market and International Operations - International Pension operations are expected to benefit from increased earnings from equity method investments in Brazil and favorable market performance, although foreign currency headwinds may offset some gains [5]. - Assets under management are likely to improve due to favorable market performance across equity, fixed income, and real estate [6]. Group 4: Earnings Prediction Model - The earnings prediction model indicates a potential earnings beat for Principal Financial, supported by a positive Earnings ESP of +0.31% and a Zacks Rank of 3 [8][9].