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Wall Street’s Best Digest Daily Alert

Two analysts have increased their EPS forecasts for this financial company in the past 30 days.

Two analysts have increased their EPS forecasts for this financial company in the past 30 days.

Primerica (PRI)
From Upside

Primerica’s (PRI) capital spending jumped 85%. The company spent $150 million on stock repurchases, trimming the share count by 5%.

Primerica’s dividend yield looks modest compared to an average of 2.4% for financial stocks in the S&P 400 and S&P 600. However, the company boosted its dividend 12% over the past year and 28% annually over the last three years. In November, management authorized a $200 million share-repurchase program.

A leading distributor of financial products to middle-income households, Primerica insured roughly 5 million lives and had more than 2 million investment accounts on December 31. The company will announce March-quarter results on May 9. The consensus expects per share profits of $1.17, up 26%, on revenue growth of 10%. Over the past four quarters, Primerica topped the consensus profit estimate three times.

Analyst estimates are trending higher for 2017, with the consensus expecting 16% higher profits. Primerica is a Best Buy.

Richard J. Moroney, CFA, Upside, www.upsidestocks.com, 800-233-5922, May 2017