Principal Financial Group Reports Third-Quarter Earnings Per Share of $2.91

What happened

Principal Financial Group reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $631.9 million, or $2.91 per diluted share. It returned $429 million to shareholders and raised its quarterly dividend by $0.01 to $0.85 per share.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Net income rose sharply from $213.8 million a year earlier, boosting earnings available to owners. The dividend increase and $429 million returned through dividends and share repurchases give shareholders more cash, while share repurchases cut the number of shares, supporting earnings per share.

Analyst inference

Operating earnings, which exclude some items for a smoother comparison, rose 2%, with recurring retirement deposits up 8% to $13 billion. Growth in deposits and pension risk transfer sales, where the company takes on pension obligations for a fee, supports future revenue.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Fourth-quarter common stock dividend was raised by $0.01 to $0.85 per share, an 8% increase from the year-earlier quarter. Dividends are regular cash payments to shareholders. Confirmed
2. Watch whether recurring deposits keep growing, since retirement and income solutions recurring deposits reached $13 billion, up 8%. Slower deposits would reduce future fee revenue tied to assets the company manages. Analyst inference
3. Watch operating earnings excluding significant variances, which rose 3% to $540.6 million. This measure strips out unusual items, showing whether core profit growth continues or depends on one-off gains. Analyst inference

Evidence

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