Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Boosts Stock Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $24,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 4,463 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $802,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 103,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,643,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,112,168 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $199,801,000 after acquiring an additional 93,508 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Fiserv Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:FI opened at $237.65 on Tuesday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.98 and a 52-week high of $238.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $217.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.84. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized 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 reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on FI shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens increased 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. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.83.

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.