Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Purchased by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 281,444 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,975 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $57,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Fiserv by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,872,000 after purchasing an additional 1,860 shares during the last quarter. Senator Investment Group LP bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,355,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Fiserv by 114.6% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 29,878 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 15,956 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Finally, Trajan Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Fiserv by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 160,647 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000,000 after acquiring an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Fiserv in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fiserv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.79.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI opened at $214.49 on Wednesday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.25 and a 12-month high of $238.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $218.60 and its 200-day moving average is $211.87. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its board has initiated 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.