An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.
In plain words · Principal Financial Group, Inc.
VERDICT
The label
Markup
read at $114.09
Principal Financial Group holds its Markup at $114.09.
PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
edge confirmed
edge broken
edge forming
Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.
INVESTOR
The investor read · the season, not the day
As held on the ledger · 2026-07-29
Phase
Markup
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 262 days
Price
$114.09
Valuation
15.96 trailing · 11.06 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 10.0
Beta
0.89
OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth
Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 10% discount to our $125.00 fair value, moderate competitive moat.
Read at
$114.09
15.96 P/E · 11.06 fwd
Our fair value
$125.00
10% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$108.50
-5% to current
Target low $92.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $125.00
▲ current $114.09 · | average target
Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going
The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street
Current
$114.09
you are here
Conservative
$116.08
+2%
Analyst avg
$108.50
-5%
Our fair value
$125.00
+10%
Analyst high
$125.00
+10%
Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.
Reading the gap · Our model sees value the Street hasn't fully caught up to yet.
Revenue growth
-4.50%
Profit margin
10.10%
Debt to equity
33.62
Analyst consensus
Hold · 12 covering
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
SCREEN
The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English
This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:
The common standard· AAOIFI Used by most halal investing apps✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard· asset-based The one Titan applies✗ DOES NOT PASS
Why it fails. The problem is its business activity screen. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.
Business activityBusiness activity: Financials sectorFail
Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.
PLAIN
The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean
Retirement money flows through an ethical red flag
Picture the steady drip of payroll deductions into workplace pensions and insurance plans. Those flows reach Principal Financial Group every day, yet the business fails our ethical screen on core activity grounds. That alone ends the conversation, regardless of the moderate moat or 13 percent ROE.
We pass for two clear reasons. The ethical failure sits first. Second, the valuation offers little cushion once you strip out the 11.1 times forward earnings and the minus 4 percent revenue trend. Analyst targets sit below the current price, so the modest margin to our own fair value does not change the call.
Risk centres on the insurance and asset management mix, where market swings and regulatory shifts can hit both margins and flows at once. The 10 percent profit margin already leaves little room for error. Analysis, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
TRADE
Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are
PFG trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
TRADER
The trader read · the latest dated commentary
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 20% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 48%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 19%. The street (12 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $102. Entered 2026-07-18 · Accumulation
JOURNAL
The dated journal · newest first, never edited
2026-07-18Accumulation$105.22+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 20% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 48%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 19%. The street (12 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $102.
2026-07-03Accumulation$105.22+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Accumulation$105.22Entry 1
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
