Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) is Homestead Advisers Corp’s 4th Largest Position

Homestead Advisers Corp decreased its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 701,300 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 57,700 shares during the period. Fiserv makes up approximately 3.5% of Homestead Advisers Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Homestead Advisers Corp owned approximately 0.12% of Fiserv worth $144,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Fiserv by 17.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,442,476 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,696,341,000 after acquiring an additional 1,427,664 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Fiserv by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,711,072 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $762,328,000 after purchasing an additional 164,949 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Fiserv by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,620,785 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $743,782,000 after buying an additional 90,475 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $614,982,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 3.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,685,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,737,000 after buying an additional 48,413 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on FI. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $242.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv 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 directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Performance

FI opened at $221.75 on Thursday. 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 capitalization of $124.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.14, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average of $221.58 and a 200 day moving average of $207.28. Fiserv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program 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. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.