As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q1. Today, we are looking at life insurance stocks, starting with Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG).

Life insurance companies collect premiums from policyholders in exchange for providing a future death benefit or retirement income stream. Interest rates matter for the sector (and make it cyclical), with higher rates allowing insurers to reinvest their fixed-income portfolios at more attractive yields and vice versa. Additionally, favorable demographic shifts, such as an aging population, are driving strong demand for retirement products while AI and data analytics offer significant opportunities to improve underwriting accuracy and operational efficiency. Conversely, the industry faces headwinds from persistent competition from agile insurtechs that threaten traditional distribution models.

The 15 life insurance stocks we track reported a softer Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.1%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG)

Founded in 1879 by a Civil War veteran seeking to provide financial security for families, Principal Financial Group (NASDAQGS:PFG) provides retirement solutions, asset management, and employee benefits to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients globally.

Principal Financial Group reported revenues of $4.02 billion, up 5.5% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 1.4% since reporting and currently trades at $78.40.

Read our full report on Principal Financial Group here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Corebridge Financial (NYSE: CRBG)

Spun off from insurance giant AIG in 2022 to focus on the growing retirement market, Corebridge Financial (NYSE: CRBG) provides retirement solutions, annuities, life insurance, and institutional risk management products in the United States.

Corebridge Financial reported revenues of $4.74 billion, down 19.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.9%. The business had a satisfactory quarter.

Corebridge Financial pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 5.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $34.85.

Is now the time to buy Corebridge Financial? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: F&G Annuities & Life (NYSE: FG)

Founded in 1959 and serving approximately 677,000 policyholders who rely on its financial protection products, F&G Annuities & Life (NYSE: FG) provides fixed annuities, life insurance, and pension risk transfer solutions to retail and institutional clients.

F&G Annuities & Life reported revenues of $930 million, down 40.7% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 36.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ net premiums earned and EPS estimates.

F&G Annuities & Life delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 10.1% since the results and currently trades at $32.28.

Read our full analysis of F&G Annuities & Life’s results here.

Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ: BHF)

Spun off from MetLife in 2017 to focus specifically on retail financial products, Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ: BHF) provides annuity contracts and life insurance products designed to help individuals protect wealth, generate income, and transfer assets.

Brighthouse Financial reported revenues of $2.16 billion, up 5.2% year on year. This result lagged analysts' expectations by 5.3%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ net premiums earned and book value per share estimates.

The stock is down 7% since reporting and currently trades at $53.84.

Read our full, actionable report on Brighthouse Financial here, it’s free.

Prudential (NYSE: PRU)

Recognized by its iconic Rock of Gibraltar logo symbolizing strength and stability since 1896, Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) provides life insurance, annuities, retirement solutions, investment management, and other financial services to individual and institutional customers globally.

Prudential reported revenues of $13.41 billion, down 38.2% year on year. This number came in 8.3% below analysts' expectations. It was a slower quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ book value per share estimates and EPS in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is up 2.2% since reporting and currently trades at $106.74.

Read our full, actionable report on Prudential here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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