Candriam S.C.A. Has $42.31 Million Stock Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 205,959 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 39,227 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $42,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,442,476 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,696,341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,427,664 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new position in Fiserv during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $764,543,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Fiserv by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,711,072 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $762,328,000 after buying an additional 164,949 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Fiserv by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,620,785 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $743,782,000 after buying an additional 90,475 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $614,982,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fiserv 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 transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $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 at this link. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $226.07 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.41. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.98 and a 1-year high of $238.59. The firm has a market cap of $126.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. 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 announced 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 return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

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