Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Valley National Bancorp $VLY

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,079,722 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,759 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.19% of Valley National Bancorp worth $13,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Valley National Bancorp by 141.7% during the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 199,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,447,000 after acquiring an additional 116,826 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Valley National Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $1,704,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valley National Bancorp by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,029,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,200,000 after purchasing an additional 247,651 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Valley National Bancorp by 10,678.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 371,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,561,000 after purchasing an additional 367,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Successful Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Valley National Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth $1,963,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.00% of the company’s stock.

Valley National Bancorp News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Valley National Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase & Co. kept an Overweight rating on Valley National Bancorp and trimmed its price target only modestly to $17.00 from $17.50, signaling continued confidence in upside from current levels. JPMorgan price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $16.00 from $15.00, suggesting analysts still see room for the shares to recover despite the earnings miss. KBW price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Valley National posted year-over-year revenue growth of 13.3%, helped by stronger net interest income and non-interest income, and provisions were lower, which supports the longer-term earnings outlook. Second quarter 2026 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted second-quarter EPS came in at $0.30 versus the consensus $0.31, a very small miss that was offset by slightly better-than-expected revenue. Second quarter 2026 results
• Negative Sentiment: The main drag on the stock is that higher expenses kept Valley National from fully beating earnings estimates, limiting enthusiasm around an otherwise solid quarter. Earnings miss analysis

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Valley National Bancorp from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Valley National Bancorp from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Valley National Bancorp from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group set a $17.00 target price on shares of Valley National Bancorp in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valley National Bancorp from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Mitchell L. Crandell sold 25,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.63, for a total value of $372,991.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 76,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,113,577.08. This represents a 25.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Russell Barrett sold 90,537 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.54, for a total transaction of $1,225,870.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 64,167 shares in the company, valued at $868,821.18. This trade represents a 58.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valley National Bancorp Stock Down 0.8%

Valley National Bancorp stock opened at $14.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $14.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.23. Valley National Bancorp has a 1-year low of $8.95 and a 1-year high of $15.20.

Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). Valley National Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.13% and a net margin of 19.49%.The business had revenue of $560.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $557.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valley National Bancorp will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valley National Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Valley National Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.64%.

About Valley National Bancorp

Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ: VLY) is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, offering a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking products and services. Through its banking subsidiary, Valley National Bank, the company provides deposit accounts, residential and commercial lending, mortgage services, treasury and cash management, foreign exchange and trade finance solutions. Complementary wealth management and insurance offerings round out its financial services platform, catering to individual, small-business and corporate clients.

Tracing its roots to the establishment of Wayne National Bank in 1927, Valley has grown into one of the largest banks in New Jersey by both assets and deposit share.