First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Shares Acquired by Lynx Investment Advisory

Lynx Investment Advisory increased its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Lynx Investment Advisory’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FAF. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the third quarter worth $95,638,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in First American Financial by 13,222.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 849,279 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,029,000 after acquiring an additional 842,904 shares during the period. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC bought a new position in First American Financial in the third quarter worth about $43,431,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,803,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in First American Financial by 83.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 893,216 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $58,961,000 after purchasing an additional 405,487 shares during the period. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In related news, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total transaction of $815,006.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,586,795.36. The trade was a 6.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total transaction of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 127,707 shares of company stock worth $8,136,565. 3.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First American Financial Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of First American Financial stock opened at $64.90 on Monday. First American Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $51.60 and a 52 week high of $70.92. The stock has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 51.92 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $63.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.36.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a net margin of 2.14% and a return on equity of 9.35%. On average, equities analysts predict that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 172.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens raised their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

About First American Financial

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.