Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys Shares of 4,428 Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,202,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in shares of Primerica during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Primerica during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Primerica by 129.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 126 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Primerica by 116.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Primerica by 65.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 240 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PRI has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Primerica from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Primerica in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $311.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Primerica from $274.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Primerica from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Primerica currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $308.00.

Primerica Stock Performance

NYSE:PRI traded down $4.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $268.07. 143,521 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 157,412. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $268.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.04. The firm has a market cap of $8.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50 and a beta of 1.02. Primerica, Inc. has a twelve month low of $219.52 and a twelve month high of $307.91.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $5.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.77 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $803.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $783.54 million. Primerica had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 15.14%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.91 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Primerica, Inc. will post 20.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Primerica Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Primerica's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Nicholas Adam Jendusa sold 234 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.15, for a total transaction of $65,555.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,030. This trade represents a 53.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of Primerica stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.90, for a total transaction of $565,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 13,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,762,852.90. This trade represents a 13.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.61% of the company's stock.

Primerica Company Profile

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.