Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 800 Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Fidelity National Financial were worth $1,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 5,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 16,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Trading Up 2.6 %

FNF opened at $64.83 on Friday. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.85 and a 12 month high of $65.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $17.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.32.

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

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FNF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stephens boosted their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total transaction of $117,842.36. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,824,303.38. The trade was a 6.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total value of $153,580.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,872.60. The trade was a 14.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Fidelity National Financial

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.