Natural Investments LLC Takes Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,305 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $211.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.17, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $218.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $204.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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

Fiserv announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp raised their price target on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Compass Point initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $278.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of 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 issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

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.