GenTrust LLC Makes New Investment in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

GenTrust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,092 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Soros Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Fiserv by 71.7% during the third quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 54,797 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,844,000 after buying an additional 22,884 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Fiserv by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 123,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,339,000 after buying an additional 6,072 shares during the last quarter. Chiron Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Fiserv during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,709,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Fiserv by 170.4% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 4,310 shares during the period. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,254,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI opened at $231.85 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.98 and a 12 month high of $237.99. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $216.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.01, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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

Fiserv announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

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.