First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $66.75.

Several research analysts have weighed in on FAF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on First American Financial from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th.

First American Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $64.87 on Friday. First American Financial has a 1-year low of $49.55 and a 1-year high of $67.88. The stock has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.04 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.07.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 7.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that First American Financial will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 20th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This is a positive change from First American Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 20th. First American Financial’s payout ratio is presently 103.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First American Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mather Group LLC. grew its position in First American Financial by 99.1% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in First American Financial by 56.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in First American Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in First American Financial during the second quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in First American Financial by 340.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 864 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

About First American Financial

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.