Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 218 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,898 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the quarter. Fiserv makes up approximately 1.6% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $2,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 123,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,339,000 after purchasing an additional 6,072 shares in the last quarter. Chiron Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,709,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Fiserv by 170.4% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 4,310 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at $97,254,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 12.0% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 140,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,234,000 after acquiring an additional 15,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Down 8.4 %

NYSE:FI opened at $198.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $111.57 billion, a PE ratio of 36.88, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.42. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.98 and a 52-week high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Fiserv in a report on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

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.