Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Purchases 55,295 Shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI - Free Report) by 2,508.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 57,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 55,295 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned about 0.17% of Primerica worth $15,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PRI. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Primerica by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 20,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,428,000 after buying an additional 10,635 shares in the last quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Primerica in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $543,000. Oak Thistle LLC grew its holdings in Primerica by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 4,936 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,340,000 after acquiring an additional 1,943 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Primerica by 59.4% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 111,720 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,323,000 after buying an additional 41,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Primerica by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 120,011 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,573,000 after buying an additional 11,612 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Primerica

In related news, insider Nicholas Adam Jendusa sold 234 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.15, for a total transaction of $65,555.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,030. The trade was a 53.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 3,000 shares of Primerica stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.74, for a total value of $845,220.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 33,322 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,388,140.28. The trade was a 8.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 5,234 shares of company stock worth $1,476,575. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PRI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Primerica from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Primerica in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $311.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Primerica from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Primerica from $313.00 to $304.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $309.14.

Primerica Trading Up 1.8%

PRI traded up $4.72 during trading on Monday, reaching $273.43. 30,696 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 156,734. The stock has a market cap of $9.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88 and a beta of 1.02. Primerica, Inc. has a 52 week low of $219.52 and a 52 week high of $307.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $269.75 and a 200 day moving average of $280.16.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $5.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $803.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $783.54 million. Primerica had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.91 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Primerica, Inc. will post 20.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Primerica Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Primerica's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.98%.

About Primerica

Primerica, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in four segments: Term Life Insurance; Investment and Savings Products; Senior Health; and Corporate and Other Distributed Products.