Fiserv Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:FI)

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders bought 5,299 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 215% compared to the average daily volume of 1,681 call options.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of FI traded up $3.93 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $159.94. The stock had a trading volume of 3,345,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,515,755. Fiserv has a 12 month low of $109.11 and a 12 month high of $162.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.90, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $151.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.84.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.81 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.45%. Fiserv’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Research analysts expect that Fiserv will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total value of $3,716,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at $25,350,427.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total transaction of $3,716,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at $25,350,427.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Gibbons sold 2,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.76, for a total value of $416,528.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,213,329.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,800 shares of company stock worth $7,696,448. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Fiserv

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,885,279,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,329,623,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $960,592,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $927,298,000. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $900,674,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FI shares. KeyCorp increased their target price on Fiserv from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Fiserv from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Fiserv from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, William Blair raised Fiserv to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.19.

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.