Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $4.98 Million Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 24,223 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $4,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Soros Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 71.7% in the third quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 54,797 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,844,000 after buying an additional 22,884 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 6,072 shares during the period. Chiron Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,709,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 170.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 4,310 shares during the period. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,254,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE FI opened at $214.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $120.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.87, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. Fiserv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $238.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Sell-side analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FI shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Compass Point assumed coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.83.

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.