Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $234.53 and last traded at $234.16, with a volume of 311384 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $230.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FI. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $183.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $133.48 billion, a PE ratio of 43.53, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $212.66 and its 200 day moving average is $197.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $1,406,452,000. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $764,543,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $614,982,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 343.7% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,806,579 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $576,527,000 after buying an additional 2,174,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 65.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,116,919,000 after buying an additional 2,153,554 shares during the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.