Candriam S.C.A. Raises Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 205,959 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 39,227 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $42,308,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on FI. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI opened at $226.07 on Thursday. 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 one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.89 billion, a PE ratio of 41.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. On average, analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.