Jump Financial LLC Increases Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 116.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,375 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $1,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,406,452,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $614,982,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 65.6% during 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. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Fiserv by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,568,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,376,482,000 after buying an additional 2,126,419 shares during the period. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $363,031,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays increased their target price on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $234.79.

Fiserv Stock Down 0.8 %

FI stock opened at $208.51 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $146.25 and a one year high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $219.31 and a 200-day moving average of $211.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Fiserv Company 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.