AlphaQuest LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 120.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,610 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 881 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 12,428 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,651,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $241,000. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $445,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $127,000. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

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

Fiserv Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE FI opened at $214.91 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.98 and a 12-month high of $238.59. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $120.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. On average, analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FI. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

About Fiserv

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.