Fact based stock research
Principal Financial (NasdaqGS:PFG)

US74251V1026

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Principal Financial stock research in summary

principal.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with investment alternatives), Principal Financial (Life & Health Insurance, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Principal Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 65 (better than 65% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 58, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 39). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 95, is a strong buy recommendation based on Principal Financial's financial characteristics. As the company Principal Financial's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 65) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 39) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 58), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 65% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	65
Growth Rank	39
Safety Rank	58
Combined Rank	95

Country	USA
Industry	Life & Health Insurance
Index	Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, Renewables Users, NASDAQ, D.J. US Insurance, S&P 500
Size class	Medium

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Principal Financial

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	51	42	71	65
GROWTH
GROWTH	87	15	59	39
SAFETY
SAFETY	58	58	58	58
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	5	12	28	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	35	8	8	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Principal Financial is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	51	42	71	65
GROWTH
GROWTH	87	15	59	39
SAFETY
SAFETY	58	58	58	58
COMBINED
COMBINED	95	95	95	95

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Principal Financial the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), Principal Financial shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Principal Financial. Price-to-Sales is 66 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 66% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Principal Financial's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 77% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 55. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Principal Financial are expected to be higher than for 73% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 73). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation based on Principal Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Principal Financial based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	57	55	66	66
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	51	47	64	77
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	58	47	61	55
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	59	70	78	73
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	51	42	71	65

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Principal Financial; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), Principal Financial shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Principal Financial. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 72, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 72% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 39, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 61% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 37 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 29 (71% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	60	45	50	39
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	58	32	74	72
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	65	17	55	37
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	89	15	31	29
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	87	15	59	39

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Principal Financial.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), the company Principal Financial has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Principal Financial is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, where all three are above average for Principal Financial. Leverage is at 58, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 58% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 50, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 50% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 96, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 96% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), Principal Financial has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. Investors may not have a debt issue with Principal Financial but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	64	61	63	58
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	50	50	50	50
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	100	100	98	96
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	58	58	58	58

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Principal Financial and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	3	21	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	13	59	70	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	39	37	41	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	46	29	31	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	5	12	28	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Principal Financial.
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