Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.40.

FNF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $77.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $64.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.32. Fidelity National Financial has a 52 week low of $46.85 and a 52 week high of $65.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.77.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 9.28% and a return on equity of 15.36%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 43.01%.

Insider Transactions at Fidelity National Financial

In other news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total transaction of $117,842.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,824,303.38. This represents a 6.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total value of $153,580.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,716 shares in the company, valued at $916,872.60. This trade represents a 14.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in Fidelity National Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter worth $35,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.