Hel Ved Capital Management Ltd Trims Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Hel Ved Capital Management Ltd lessened its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,750 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Hel Ved Capital Management Ltd’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $2,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth $1,406,452,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth $614,982,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Fiserv by 65.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,116,919,000 after buying an additional 2,153,554 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,030,889 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,649,705,000 after buying an additional 1,121,597 shares during the period. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $134,710,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This 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 owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI stock opened at $198.77 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $238.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $222.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $209.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $111.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.88, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FI. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $243.64.

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.