Analysts Set Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Price Target at $239.83

Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-one have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $239.83.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of Fiserv stock opened at $214.91 on Monday. Fiserv has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $238.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $218.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Analysts forecast that Fiserv will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.