8,861 Shares in Primerica, Inc. $PRI Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Primerica, buying 8,861 shares valued at about $2.29 million.
• Primerica reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, posting $5.96 per share versus estimates of $5.45, with revenue of $872.3 million, up 8.6% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with a target price of $297.80.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,861 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,289,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Primerica during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Primerica by 186.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Primerica during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Primerica during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Primerica by 620.0% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 216 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.88% of the company's stock.

Primerica Price Performance

Shares of Primerica stock opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $266.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.58. Primerica, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $230.09 and a fifty-two week high of $288.03.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $5.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.45 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $855.36 million. Primerica had a net margin of 22.99% and a return on equity of 32.32%. Primerica's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Primerica, Inc. will post 24.42 EPS for the current year.

Primerica Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Primerica's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on PRI shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Primerica from $280.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Primerica in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Primerica in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Primerica from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Primerica from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $297.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Primerica

In related news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 1,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.64, for a total value of $503,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 9,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,743,548.04. This trade represents a 15.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Primerica Company Profile

Primerica, Inc is a financial services company that focuses on delivering term life insurance and investment products to middle-income households in the United States and Canada. The firm operates a network of independent, licensed representatives who provide personalized guidance on coverage needs, retirement planning, and wealth accumulation. Primerica's core mission is to help clients obtain affordable life insurance protection while also offering a suite of savings and investment solutions designed for long-term financial security.

In addition to term life insurance, Primerica offers a range of financial products and services that include mutual funds, annuities, auto and home insurance through partner carriers, and personal lending solutions such as secured and unsecured loans.

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