Holderness Investments Co. Reduces Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Holderness Investments Co. trimmed its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,699 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Holderness Investments Co.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI stock opened at $221.77 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $220.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $205.70. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.98 and a 52 week high of $238.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.48 billion, a PE ratio of 41.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) 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 expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

Fiserv Profile

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.