Essex Financial Services Inc. Purchases 262 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,757 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Equitable Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $243,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Fiserv by 843.9% during the fourth quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,285,000 after acquiring an additional 18,651 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Fiserv by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,394 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. 17 Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Fiserv by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. 17 Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,443 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Trading Down 0.9 %

Fiserv stock opened at $227.83 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. Fiserv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.47 and a fifty-two week high of $233.26. The stock has a market cap of $129.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.27, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $209.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.77.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced 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 return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Equities research analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on FI. Mizuho lifted their target price on Fiserv from $183.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

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.