Principal Financial Group (PFG) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, October 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.99 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in registering for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.87 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $4.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.78 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.92% and a net margin of 8.05%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Principal Financial Group to post $7 EPS for the current fiscal year and $8 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFG traded up $0.11 on Thursday, reaching $91.26. 870,868 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,121,967. The business's 50-day moving average is $82.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Principal Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $66.21 and a fifty-two week high of $91.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.19.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. This is a boost from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PFG shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Principal Financial Group from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Raymond James upgraded Principal Financial Group from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $99.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $88.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Principal Financial Group from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Principal Financial Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $85.42.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal 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 Asset Management, and Benefits and Protection segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides retirement, and related financial products and services.