FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) (TSE:FSV) by 36.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 543,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 144,234 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in FirstService were worth $98,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FSV. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of FirstService during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of FirstService in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of FirstService during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in FirstService by 158.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. Finally, Gitterman Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in FirstService during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 69.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FSV. StockNews.com raised shares of FirstService from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of FirstService from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.67.

FirstService Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FSV opened at $173.61 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.66. FirstService Co. has a 52 week low of $141.26 and a 52 week high of $197.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.45 and a beta of 1.12.

FirstService Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. This is a positive change from FirstService’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. FirstService’s payout ratio is currently 37.04%.

About FirstService

FirstService Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides residential property management and other essential property services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: FirstService Residential and FirstService Brands. The FirstService Residential segment offers services for private residential communities, such as condominiums, co-operatives, homeowner associations, master-planned communities, active adult and lifestyle communities, and various other residential developments.