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Principal Financial Group vs SEI Investments Company: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

SEI Investments Company holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and stability adding further support. Principal Financial does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Profitability remains the main source of distance in the comparison. SEI Investments Company leads by 27 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Asset Management

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. PFG and SEIC share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Principal Financial and SEI Investments Company each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
PFG
Principal Financial Group, Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
SEIC
SEI Investments Company
73
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: PFG vs SEIC Profitability 8 74 Stability 63 83 Valuation 70 80 Growth 50 50 PFG SEIC
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +66
#2 Stability +20
#3 Valuation +10
#4 Growth
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for PFG and SEIC Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer PFGSEIC Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where PFG and SEIC each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY PFG Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap SEIC Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 99th
PFG (99th percentile) and SEIC (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
SEI Investments Company ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Principal Financial Group, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but SEI Investments Company still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
PFG
8
SEIC
74
Gap+66in favour of SEIC

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 15.7-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability is the one area where Principal Financial Group, Inc. still pushes back materially — it is the steadier name on this dimension, which keeps the result from reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and stability also supports SEI Investments Company's broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the PFG vs SEIC comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how PFG and SEIC each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.