J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. Has $46.84 Million Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. lessened its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 228,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,810 shares during the quarter. Fiserv accounts for approximately 4.4% of J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $46,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of FI. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE FI opened at $214.91 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.40. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.98 and a 12-month high of $238.59. 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 company has a market cap of $120.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.87, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Sell-side analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Fiserv 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.