Here's What We Think About Principal Financial Group, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PFG) CEO Pay
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Dan Houston has been the CEO of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFG) since 2015. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at other large companies. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.
View our latest analysis for Principal Financial Group
How Does Dan Houston's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?
According to our data, Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a market capitalization of US$16b, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth US$12m. (This figure is for the year to December 2018). That's just a smallish increase of 2.2% on last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at US$900k. When we examined a group of companies with market caps over US$8.0b, we found that their median CEO total compensation was US$11m. There aren't very many mega-cap companies, so we had to take a wide range to get a meaningful comparison figure.
That means Dan Houston receives fairly typical remuneration for the CEO of a large company. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.
You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Principal Financial Group has changed over time.
Is Principal Financial Group, Inc. Growing?
Principal Financial Group, Inc. has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 19% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 8.4%.
Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's nice to see a little revenue growth, as this is consistent with healthy business conditions. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.
Has Principal Financial Group, Inc. Been A Good Investment?
Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Principal Financial Group, Inc. for providing a total return of 42% over three years. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size.
In Summary...
Dan Houston is paid around the same as most CEOs of large companies.
Few would be critical of the leadership, since returns have been juicy and earnings per share are moving in the right direction. So one could argue the CEO compensation is quite modest, if you consider company performance! CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting to check if the CEO is buying or selling Principal Financial Group (free visualization of insider trades).
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
