Soros Capital Management LLC Trims Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Soros Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 44,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 10,275 shares during the quarter. Fiserv comprises about 1.5% of Soros Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Soros Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $9,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI stock opened at $208.51 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. 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 50 day moving average price of $219.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $211.70. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $146.25 and a one year high of $238.59.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on FI. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens upped their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.79.

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.