D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Sells 51,096 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 36.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,703 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 51,096 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $18,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FI. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Fiserv by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 123,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,339,000 after purchasing an additional 6,072 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in Fiserv by 170.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after buying an additional 4,310 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth $97,254,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 146.9% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 19,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,068,000 after acquiring an additional 11,783 shares during the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on FI. Barclays reduced their target price on Fiserv from $265.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Fiserv from $267.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Piper Sandler set a $218.00 price target on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $230.00.

Fiserv Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of FI opened at $186.62 on Tuesday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.25 and a 1-year high of $238.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $205.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.62, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.97.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The business had revenue of $4.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. Fiserv’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

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