Sentry LLC Invests $243,000 in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Sentry LLC bought a new position in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $243,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $211,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its position in shares of First American Financial by 7.4% during the third quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,013,403 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $66,895,000 after purchasing an additional 69,648 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in First American Financial by 114.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,379 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 7,150 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in First American Financial by 15.3% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 23,360 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,542,000 after buying an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in First American Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $229,000. 89.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on FAF. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on First American Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of First American Financial from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

First American Financial Stock Performance

FAF opened at $66.59 on Wednesday. First American Financial Co. has a one year low of $49.55 and a one year high of $67.88. The company has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.86 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.74.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.14. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 7.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that First American Financial Co. will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 20th were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This is an increase from First American Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 20th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.35%.

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.