Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Buys 139 Shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Primerica were worth $794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PRI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Primerica by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,087,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Primerica in the 1st quarter valued at about $209,000. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Primerica in the 1st quarter valued at about $207,000. Running Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Primerica by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 47,911 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,120,000 after acquiring an additional 3,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Primerica during the 1st quarter worth approximately $577,000. Institutional investors own 90.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PRI shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Primerica from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Primerica from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Primerica from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Primerica presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $245.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.76, for a total value of $668,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,764,208.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Primerica news, President Peter W. Schneider sold 1,500 shares of Primerica stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.44, for a total transaction of $341,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 11,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,674,466.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Glenn J. Williams sold 3,000 shares of Primerica stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.76, for a total transaction of $668,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,322 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,764,208.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Primerica Stock Performance

PRI stock traded up $1.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $237.70. 12,439 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 167,079. Primerica, Inc. has a 1-year low of $184.76 and a 1-year high of $256.56. The firm has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.00.

Primerica (NYSE:PRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $3.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.12 by ($0.21). Primerica had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 27.35%. The business had revenue of $742.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $740.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. Primerica’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Primerica, Inc. will post 17.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Primerica Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st were issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 20th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Primerica’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.26%.

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.