Empirical Asset Management LLC Acquires New Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Empirical Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 62,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,843,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clean Yield Group lifted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 431.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 170 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Fiserv by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Fiserv by 95.5% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 260 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Fiserv during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $186.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Susquehanna upped their price target on Fiserv from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Compass Point assumed coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Fiserv from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Fiserv from $222.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, Director Doyle Simons sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total value of $8,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 76,180 shares in the company, valued at $15,386,074.60. This represents a 34.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Heidi Miller sold 30,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.13, for a total value of $6,033,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,235 shares in the company, valued at $6,684,555.55. This trade represents a 47.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 90,821 shares of company stock worth $18,581,095 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE:FI opened at $206.21 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $136.48 and a 12 month high of $223.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.32 billion, a PE ratio of 39.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $209.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.20.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.10% and a net margin of 15.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 8.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv Company Profile

Fiserv, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides payments and financial services technology services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through Merchant Acceptance, Financial Technology, and Payments and Network segments.