Short Interest in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Increases By 22.7%

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 6,040,410 shares, an increase of 22.7% from the February 12th total of 4,924,227 shares. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,168,779 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,168,779 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FNF shares. Barclays decreased their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. National Bank Financial set a $71.00 price target on Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Fidelity National Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fidelity National Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total transaction of $335,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $737,097.40. This trade represents a 31.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 3,530.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 221,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,074,000 after purchasing an additional 215,089 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $802,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 1,046.4% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,926 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 1,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

FNF traded up $0.70 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $48.59. 1,681,639 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,736,095. Fidelity National Financial has a 12-month low of $45.94 and a 12-month high of $66.72. The company’s 50-day moving average is $53.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $13.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.99.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.10). Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 97.65%.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.