Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Up 7.8% in December

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, a growth of 7.8% from the November 30th total of 2,190,000 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,050,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of FNF stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $56.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 532,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,186,139. The company has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41 and a beta of 1.36. Fidelity National Financial has a 1-year low of $46.85 and a 1-year high of $64.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $59.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.49.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.11). Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 29.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This is an increase from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is currently 72.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $117,842.36. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,824,303.38. This represents a 6.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 19,740 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank raised its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 3.5% in the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 15,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 32.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.