Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Acquired by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,092,538 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 471,676 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $429,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fiserv Stock Down 1.4 %

Fiserv stock opened at $216.15 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.98 and a 1-year high of $238.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.91. The company has a market capitalization of $121.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Fiserv in a report on Sunday, March 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $242.32.

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.