Fact based stock research
Principal Financial (NasdaqGS:PFG)
US74251V1026
How to read the free ranks
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
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 71 (better than 71% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 59), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 58), which means low debt burdens. ...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 all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 59), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 58), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Principal Financial. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. 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
Log in or sign up to see the new 360° View and Sentiment ranks.
360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | Life & Health Insurance |
| Index | Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, Renewables Users, NASDAQ, D.J. US Insurance, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.
20-Feb-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.
It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.
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 |
|
71 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
|
15 |
|
59 |
|
59 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 5 |
|
12 |
|
28 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 35 |
|
8 |
|
8 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
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 71 (better than 71% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 59), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 58), which means low debt burdens. ...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 all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 59), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 58), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Principal Financial. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 51 |
|
42 |
|
71 |
|
71 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
|
15 |
|
59 |
|
59 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 95 |
|
95 |
|
95 |
|
95 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% 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 64% 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 61. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Principal Financial are expected to be higher than for 78% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 78). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 71, 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 |
|
64 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 58 |
|
47 |
|
61 |
|
61 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 59 |
|
70 |
|
78 |
|
78 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 51 |
|
42 |
|
71 |
|
71 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), Principal Financial shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Principal Financial. Sales Growth has a value of 50 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 50% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 74 and Capital Growth with a rank of 55 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 31, which means that stock returns have recently been below 69% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Principal Financial has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for Principal Financial, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. 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. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 60 |
|
45 |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 58 |
|
32 |
|
74 |
|
74 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 65 |
|
17 |
|
55 |
|
55 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 89 |
|
15 |
|
31 |
|
31 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 87 |
|
15 |
|
59 |
|
59 |
|
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 63, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 63% 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 98, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 98% 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 |
|
63 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 50 |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 100 |
|
100 |
|
98 |
|
98 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
58 |
|
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 |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Principal Financial from February 20, 2025.
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our free research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.