Bank of Stockton Reduces Stock Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Bank of Stockton lessened its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 323 shares during the quarter. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the third quarter worth about $40,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Compass Point initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

Fiserv Price Performance

NYSE:FI opened at $234.63 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $133.48 billion, a PE ratio of 43.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $213.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.74.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Equities research analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.