Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 91,389 Shares of Primerica, Inc. $PRI

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in Primerica by 2.7%, selling 91,389 shares and now holds 3,286,803 shares — a 10.30% ownership position valued at about $849.2 million.
• Primerica beat expectations with Q4 EPS of $6.13 (vs. $5.69 est.) and revenue of $853.5 million, reporting a 32.3% ROE and revenue growth of 8.3% year‑over‑year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (from $1.04), a $4.80 annualized payout (~1.7% yield), while insiders including the president and CEO sold shares, modestly reducing their holdings.

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,286,803 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 91,389 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.30% of Primerica worth $849,178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Primerica during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Primerica during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Primerica during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Primerica Price Performance

NYSE PRI opened at $276.80 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.91. Primerica, Inc. has a 1 year low of $230.09 and a 1 year high of $288.03. The business's 50-day moving average is $260.45 and its 200 day moving average is $260.13.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $6.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.69 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $853.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.65 million. Primerica had a return on equity of 32.30% and a net margin of 22.82%.Primerica's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Primerica, Inc. will post 23.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Primerica Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This is a boost from Primerica's previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Primerica's payout ratio is 20.93%.

Insider Activity

In other Primerica news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 1,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.38, for a total value of $454,284.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 11,611 shares in the company, valued at $2,930,384.18. This trade represents a 13.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.41, for a total transaction of $641,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,023,582.72. This trade represents a 8.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PRI. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Primerica from $292.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Primerica in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Primerica in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research cut Primerica from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Primerica from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $293.60.

Primerica 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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