Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on FNF. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays restated a “cautious” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Friday, November 14th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. National Bankshares set a $72.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Fidelity National Financial Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $55.09 on Friday. Fidelity National Financial has a fifty-two week low of $50.61 and a fifty-two week high of $66.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $15.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.10 and a 200 day moving average of $57.38.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 15.06% and a net margin of 8.34%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. This is an increase from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.12%.

Insider Activity at Fidelity National Financial

In other news, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total value of $366,930.21. Following the sale, the director directly owned 276,308 shares in the company, valued at $15,923,630.04. The trade was a 2.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 5.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 997.7% during the 3rd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter worth $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 4,545.5% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.