B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Grows Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,392 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,347 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $6,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on FI. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $242.32.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE FI opened at $221.19 on Tuesday. 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 $238.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.15 billion, a PE ratio of 41.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. On average, research analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

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.