Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Cuts Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd trimmed its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 46,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,302 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $9,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in FI. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of FI opened at $229.58 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $200.07. The stock has a market cap of $128.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.98 and a 1-year high of $237.99.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its earnings results 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Compass Point started coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price target for the company. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fiserv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.