Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $65.65 and last traded at $65.44, with a volume of 67663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on FNF. StockNews.com raised shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fidelity National Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.40.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $17.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $57.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.31.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 15.36% and a net margin of 9.28%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of Fidelity National Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $117,842.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,386 shares in the company, valued at $1,824,303.38. This trade represents a 6.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total value of $153,580.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,872.60. This trade represents a 14.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Commerce Bank raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 3.5% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 16,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $937,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 72,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,053,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.