Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Sells 5,314 Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF)

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) by 56.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,132 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,314 shares during the period. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Fidelity National Financial were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 49,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,803,000 after purchasing an additional 11,982 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 304,018 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,068,000 after buying an additional 29,513 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 121,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,822,000 after buying an additional 4,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $183,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

NYSE FNF opened at $59.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.60 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.85 and a 52-week high of $64.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.49.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 29.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a positive change from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 72.73%.

Insider Activity

In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total transaction of $153,580.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $916,872.60. The trade was a 14.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $117,842.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,824,303.38. This represents a 6.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.40.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.