Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Bought by Longbow Finance SA

Longbow Finance SA raised its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the quarter. Longbow Finance SA’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $3,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Fiserv during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FI shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens raised their target price on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of Fiserv stock opened at $231.83 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $199.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $237.99. The company has a market cap of $130.12 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

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.