First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Stock Holdings Cut by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,121 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 281 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in First American Financial by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,625,017 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $663,426,000 after acquiring an additional 107,925 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,573,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $160,707,000 after purchasing an additional 78,022 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,700,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $112,306,000 after purchasing an additional 12,668 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in First American Financial by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,530,977 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $95,594,000 after purchasing an additional 37,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,780,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $59.95 on Friday. First American Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $51.60 and a 52 week high of $70.92. The company has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a PE ratio of 47.96 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.12.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. On average, equities analysts predict that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 172.80%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total transaction of $815,006.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at $12,586,795.36. The trade was a 6.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total transaction of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at $31,454,906.40. This trade represents a 18.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 127,707 shares of company stock worth $8,136,565 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on FAF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First American Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens upped their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th.

First American Financial Company Profile

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.