Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $230.00.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Fiserv from $267.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $268.00 target price (up previously from $267.00) on shares of Fiserv in a report on Friday, April 25th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Fiserv in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

Fiserv Price Performance

NYSE:FI opened at $184.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $211.04 and a 200 day moving average of $211.62. Fiserv has a 52-week low of $146.25 and a 52-week high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $4.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Fiserv’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Fiserv 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 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fiserv by 111.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 7,225 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 3,805 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its position in Fiserv by 22.8% during the first quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 4,694 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Fiserv by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in shares of Fiserv by 162.4% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 51,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,283,000 after purchasing an additional 31,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Fiserv by 13.8% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 444,483 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $98,155,000 after buying an additional 54,039 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

About Fiserv

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.