Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Fiserv (NYSE:FI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

Fiserv Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of FI opened at $232.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $130.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.11, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. Fiserv has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $237.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $214.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $199.86.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Fiserv will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fiserv

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FI. Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 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.