Primerica (NYSE:PRI) Stock Price Up 3.2% – What’s Next?

Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI)’s stock price shot up 3.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $292.47 and last traded at $293.65. 17,826 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 156,141 shares. The stock had previously closed at $284.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PRI shares. BMO Capital Markets initiated 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Primerica from $315.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Primerica from $314.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Primerica from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Primerica from $313.00 to $304.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $309.86.

Primerica Trading Up 2.2 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $285.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $280.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a PE ratio of 21.15 and a beta of 1.12.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $5.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.81 by $0.22. Primerica had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, research analysts expect that Primerica, Inc. will post 20.6 EPS for the current year.

Primerica Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Primerica’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Primerica’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Primerica

In other Primerica news, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.74, for a total transaction of $845,220.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 33,322 shares in the company, valued at $9,388,140.28. This trade represents a 8.26 % 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. Also, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 13.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,234 shares of company stock worth $1,476,575 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PRI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Primerica by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $919,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Primerica during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,921,000. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Primerica by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,288,473 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,717,000 after buying an additional 21,208 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in Primerica in the 4th quarter worth approximately $368,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Primerica by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 142,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,726,000 after buying an additional 11,737 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

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.