StepStone Group Inc. $STEP Holdings Raised by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in StepStone Group Inc. (NASDAQ:STEP) by 49.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 487,461 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160,318 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in StepStone Group were worth $31,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of STEP. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of StepStone Group in the second quarter worth about $46,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in StepStone Group by 35.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in StepStone Group by 332.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in StepStone Group by 88.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of StepStone Group by 368.0% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.54% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at StepStone Group

In related news, insider Michael I. Mccabe sold 74,214 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.14, for a total transaction of $4,908,513.96. Following the transaction, the insider owned 122,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,082,903.26. The trade was a 37.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jose A. Fernandez sold 70,402 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.30, for a total transaction of $4,386,044.60. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 362,858 shares of company stock valued at $23,422,844 in the last 90 days. 16.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

StepStone Group Stock Up 5.5%

NASDAQ:STEP opened at $62.43 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.66 and its 200-day moving average is $64.04. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.00 and a beta of 1.32. StepStone Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.07 and a 12 month high of $77.79.

StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.05. StepStone Group had a negative net margin of 30.66% and a positive return on equity of 26.11%. The firm had revenue of $241.13 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $363.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 102.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that StepStone Group Inc. will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

StepStone Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. StepStone Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently -14.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on STEP shares. Morgan Stanley set a $72.00 target price on StepStone Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays set a $67.00 price objective on StepStone Group in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of StepStone Group in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of StepStone Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $73.00 price target on shares of StepStone Group in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.75.

StepStone Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting StepStone Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $91 from $84 and reiterated an “Overweight” rating, implying roughly 45.8% upside from the current share price — a clear catalyst for buyer interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 EPS beat: STEP reported $0.65 EPS vs. consensus ~$0.60, giving investors confidence in underlying profitability trends. Several outlets flagged the earnings beat. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management expanded to roughly $171B, up about $8B sequentially — a sign of continued fundraising/flows that supports fee revenue longer term. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.28/share (annualized yield ~1.8%), signaling capital return to shareholders and helping attract income-focused investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strategy tailwinds: coverage and company commentary highlight growth from private-wealth channels and product diversification (helpful amid AI-related market shifts), supporting a more bullish growth narrative. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the Q3 earnings slide deck and earnings-call materials (useful for due diligence but informational rather than a fresh catalyst). Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings-call transcripts and analyst write-ups are available for review; these help investors parse guidance and fees but are follow-up detail. Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue shortfall vs. some expectations: reported revenue of ~$241.1M was well below the consensus figure cited by some services (~$363.9M), and the company still shows a negative net margin (~-40%), which could pressure sentiment if investors focus on top-line durability and profitability conversion. Article Title

About StepStone Group

StepStone Group is a global private markets investment firm that provides specialized investment solutions across private equity, private credit and real assets. The firm offers customized portfolios, secondary interests, direct co-investments and tailored advisory services to institutional investors worldwide. StepStone’s integrated research and data analytics platform supports its investment teams in sourcing opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies.

Founded in 2007 as an independent private markets specialist, the company has grown its presence through both organic expansion and strategic partnerships.