John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Cuts Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,275 shares during the period. Fiserv comprises approximately 1.2% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $7,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Fiserv by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 11,104 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,281,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Fiserv by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 23,253 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,777,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC boosted its position in Fiserv by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $349,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in Fiserv by 542.6% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 3,505 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FI shares. Compass Point started coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens raised their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Fiserv Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of FI stock opened at $235.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $216.68 and a 200 day moving average of $201.08. 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 stock has a market cap of $132.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. Fiserv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $237.99.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Fiserv Company 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.