First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Shares Acquired by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 6,233.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 706,211 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 695,060 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $44,096,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FAF. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $252,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in First American Financial by 0.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,118,145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,809,000 after purchasing an additional 8,315 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in First American Financial by 74.2% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,417,000 after purchasing an additional 15,589 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in First American Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $368,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in shares of First American Financial by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 260,455 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,192,000 after buying an additional 12,440 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FAF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total value of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This trade represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of First American Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total transaction of $200,202.93. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,560,299.25. The trade was a 11.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565 over the last three months. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First American Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $65.71 on Wednesday. First American Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $51.60 and a 1-year high of $70.92. The stock has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.57 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.37.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. Sell-side analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 172.80%.

First American Financial Company Profile

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.