The takeaway
Principal Financial Group Inc shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in November (+6.5%) and softest in June (+0.5%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 60% of years, averaging +3.2%, about +1.1 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Principal Financial Group Inc's most dependable month has been November, higher in 10 of 10 years; June has been its least reliable, up just 40% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |
Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+4.2 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−4.6 pts).
“vs S&P” is Principal Financial Group Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Principal Financial Group Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, November has closed higher 100% of the time versus 100% across the last 10 years — the pattern is weakening.
Figures are the typical (median) November return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. November stands out, higher in all 10 Novembers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
A typical November brings +4.5%, a shade under the +6.5% average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: November has cleared the S&P 500 by +4.2 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages November only about 62% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: April, May, and July have also closed higher more often than not. On the other side of the ledger, June is the year's low point, though even there the stock has stayed positive on average (+0.5%), a sign every month leans up, and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, December, and October. Its roughest month on record was a −33.4% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
November has now closed higher 10 years running. The pattern has softened of late, November's last five years slipping below its longer-run record.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: November aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (November), its worst (June), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (November, +6.5%) has run well ahead of its worst (June, +0.5%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
November has been the strongest, averaging +6.5% and closing higher in all 10 years on record since 2016.
It's the weakest month, but it has still averaged a small gain (+0.5%) — quiet rather than genuinely bad.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade