Primerica Household Budget Index Rises to 100.7% in November
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 30 2025
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Source: Newsfilter
- Household Budget Index Increase: The Primerica Household Budget Index (HBI™) is estimated at 100.7% in November, reflecting a slight 0.2% increase from last year, indicating a modest improvement in the purchasing power of middle-income families and suggesting weak signs of economic recovery.
- Inflation Impact: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded a 2.7% year-over-year increase in November, while the inflation rate for middle-income families was 3.2%, highlighting rising costs of living essentials that may affect household spending capacity.
- Rising Necessity Costs: The cost of essential items included in the HBI™ metric has risen by 3.3% compared to last year, putting financial pressure on middle-income families and potentially leading to reduced consumer spending.
- Economic Trend Indicator: The HBI™ was created to address the information gap regarding the economic impact on middle-income families, which represent over 55% of the U.S. population, making their purchasing power a key indicator of real-time economic trends.
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Analyst Views on PRI
Wall Street analysts forecast PRI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for PRI is 303.50 USD with a low forecast of 267.00 USD and a high forecast of 340.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Hold
Current: 256.160
Low
267.00
Averages
303.50
High
340.00
Current: 256.160
Low
267.00
Averages
303.50
High
340.00
About PRI
Primerica, Inc. is a provider of financial products and services to middle-income households in North America. The Company's segments include Term Life Insurance, Investment and Savings Products, and Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Company, through its three life insurance subsidiaries, Primerica Life Insurance Company, National Benefit Life Insurance Company and Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada (Primerica Life Canada), offers term life insurance to clients in the United States, its territories, and Canada. The Company, through Primerica Financial Services, LLC; PFS Investments Inc.; Primerica Life Canada; PFSL Investments Canada Ltd., and licensed independent sales representatives, distributes and sells to its clients a range of investment products such as mutual funds; managed investments; variable, index-linked, fixed and fixed indexed annuities, and segregated funds. It distributes other products, including prepaid legal services and mortgage loan referrals.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Middle-Income Families' Economic Outlook Stabilizes
- Economic Outlook Stabilization: The latest Primerica survey indicates that middle-income families are beginning to stabilize their economic outlook, with about 49% prioritizing keeping up with rising costs as their main financial goal for the year, reflecting a cautious approach to future financial planning.
- Financial Condition Assessment: 45% of respondents rated their personal finances as “Excellent” or “Good,” a figure that has remained unchanged over the past year, suggesting that families' confidence in their financial situations has not significantly fluctuated.
- Emergency Fund Increase: 62% of respondents reported having an emergency fund that could cover expenses of $1,000 or more, a slight increase from last year, indicating a growing emphasis on financial security amid ongoing economic pressures.
- Savings Ability Decline: 70% of respondents rated their ability to save for the future as “Not so good” or “Poor,” highlighting that families continue to face challenges in saving due to persistent cost-of-living pressures.
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Middle-Income Families' Financial Outlook Stabilizes
- Economic Outlook Stabilization: 59% of middle-income families expect the U.S. economy to worsen in the next year, while 24% anticipate improvement, indicating a cautious attitude towards economic prospects and reflecting families' adaptability in a high-price environment.
- Persistent Financial Stress: 38% of middle-income families describe their relationship with financial stress as 'complicated', highlighting the disconnect between improving economic indicators and the ongoing financial challenges faced in daily life, which affect household spending decisions.
- Delayed Purchases: Over 69% of households reported delaying major purchases in the past year, primarily related to buying cars and home repairs, indicating a cautious consumer behavior amid economic uncertainty.
- Debt Repayment Priority: Nearly 47% of middle-income families have identified paying down debt as a primary financial goal this year, underscoring the significant impact of high debt levels, particularly credit card debt, on household budgets.
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