Are Wall Street Analysts Bullish on Principal Financial Group Stock?

Core Viewpoint - Principal Financial Group, Inc. (PFG) has a market capitalization of $18 billion and operates in financial investment management and insurance, providing various products and services to a diverse clientele [1] Performance Summary - Over the past 52 weeks, PFG's shares have declined by 4.5%, underperforming the S&P 500 Index, which has gained 12.3% [2] - Year-to-date (YTD), PFG's stock is up 6.2%, while the S&P 500 has increased by 12.5% [2] - PFG has also underperformed the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF), which rose by 2.7% over the past 52 weeks and 6.3% YTD [3] Earnings Report - PFG reported weaker-than-expected Q3 earnings on October 27, with an adjusted EPS of $2.10, a 19.3% increase from the previous year, but below the consensus estimate of $2.18 [4] - Despite the earnings miss, PFG's shares surged by 3.3% in the following trading session, likely due to a 5.9% annual increase in Assets Under Management (AUM) to $784.3 billion and an announced increase in the fourth-quarter 2025 common stock dividend to $0.79 per share [4] Analyst Expectations - For the current fiscal year ending in December, analysts project PFG's EPS to grow by 18.8% year-over-year to $8.28 [5] - PFG has a disappointing earnings surprise history, missing consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters [5] - Among 15 analysts covering PFG, the consensus rating is a "Hold," with four "Strong Buy," nine "Hold," and two "Strong Sell" ratings [5] Price Target Insights - Morgan Stanley maintained an "Underweight" rating on PFG while raising its price target to $87, indicating a potential upside of 5.9% from current levels [6] - The mean price target is $88.85, representing an 8.1% premium from current prices, while the highest price target of $103 suggests a potential upside of 25.3% [6]