Fiduciary Group LLC Lowers Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Fiduciary Group LLC trimmed its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,128 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $232,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:FI opened at $221.77 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.98 and a 1-year high of $238.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $220.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This 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 accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.