Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Bought by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,622 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,210 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $18,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Compass Point began coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Performance

FI opened at $214.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The business’s 50 day moving average is $218.48 and its 200-day moving average is $203.69. The stock has a market cap of $120.54 billion, a PE ratio of 39.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. Fiserv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership 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.