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ACGL vs. PFG: Arch Capital vs. Principal Financial Stock Comparison

How do Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG) both belong to the Insurance industry, though ACGL is classified under Property & Casualty Insurance while PFG falls under Life & Health Insurance.

Company profile comparison for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
Profile ItemACGLPFG
NameArch Capital Group Ltd.Principal Financial Group Inc.
Country/RegionBermudaUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryProperty & Casualty InsuranceLife & Health Insurance
Market Capitalization34.92 billion USD23.55 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateSeptember 14, 1995October 23, 2001
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ACGL
PFG
GSPC
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Total Return (1Y)19.55%43.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)9.97%22.99%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)21.79%15.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ACGL
PFG
GSPC
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)21.17%23.45%
Beta (5Y)0.220.86
Max Drawdown (5Y)-22.43%-29.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.86M1.26M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ACGL and PFG are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.721.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.032.67

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Arch Capital (ACGL) at 18.74% and Principal Financial (PFG) at 16.11% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

18.74%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
ACGL
18.74%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%

PFG

Insurance industry group

16.11%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
PFG
16.11%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Arch Capital (ACGL) at 23.31% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Principal Financial (PFG) at 11.89%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

23.31%

Max
29.92%
ACGL
23.31%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%

PFG

Insurance industry group

11.89%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
PFG
11.89%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Arch Capital (ACGL) in Insurance and Principal Financial (PFG) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
ROE (TTM)18.74%16.11%
ROA (TTM)3.90%0.46%
Net Margin (TTM)23.31%11.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Arch Capital (ACGL) at 13.96% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Principal Financial (PFG) at -3.11% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Arch Capital (ACGL) at 3.66% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Principal Financial (PFG) at -21.41% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Revenue Growth (YoY)13.96%-3.11%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)26.14%-3.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)3.66%-21.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)45.06%-34.44%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Arch Capital (ACGL) in Insurance and Principal Financial (PFG) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Arch Capital (ACGL) in Insurance and Principal Financial (PFG) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Arch Capital (ACGL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Principal Financial (PFG) reports a yield of 2.88%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

0.00%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
ACGL
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PFG

Insurance industry group

2.88%

Max
5.12%
PFG
2.88%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Arch Capital (ACGL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Principal Financial (PFG) reports a payout of 36.19%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

0.00%

Max
76.67%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
ACGL
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

PFG

Insurance industry group

36.19%

Max
76.67%
PFG
36.19%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%2.88%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%36.19%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Arch Capital (ACGL) at 8.77 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Principal Financial (PFG) at 12.35 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for ACGL, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

8.77

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
ACGL
8.77
Min
2.32

PFG

Insurance industry group

12.35

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
PFG
12.35
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Arch Capital (ACGL) at 1.86 and Principal Financial (PFG) at 1.42 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

1.86

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
ACGL
1.86
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07

PFG

Insurance industry group

1.42

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
PFG
1.42
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Arch Capital (ACGL) at 1.57 and Principal Financial (PFG) at 2.00 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ACGL

Insurance industry group

1.57

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
ACGL
1.57
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30

PFG

Insurance industry group

2.00

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
PFG
2.00
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
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Arch Capital (ACGL) vs. Principal Financial (PFG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Arch Capital (ACGL) and Principal Financial (PFG)
MetricACGLPFG
P/E Ratio (TTM)8.7712.35
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.861.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.572.00
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----