Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Sells 4,321 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 49.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,477 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,321 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on FI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $246.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fiserv presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $243.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE FI opened at $198.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $222.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.42. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.