Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Stock Holdings Lessened by Patient Capital Management LLC

Patient Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 92.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,042 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 122,828 shares during the period. Patient Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $2,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 170.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 4,310 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Fiserv by 146.9% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 19,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,068,000 after acquiring an additional 11,783 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fiserv by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 929,193 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $190,875,000 after purchasing an additional 7,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $322,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FI shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $237.00 target price on shares of Fiserv in a report on Friday, April 25th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Fiserv from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $230.00.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of Fiserv stock opened at $191.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.97. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.25 and a 1-year high of $238.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $204.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $210.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The business had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

About Fiserv

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.