Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 745,481 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,694 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $153,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Fiserv Stock Performance

FI opened at $218.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $122.37 billion, a PE ratio of 40.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $220.46 and a 200-day moving average of $206.23. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.98 and a 52-week high of $238.59. 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 (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on FI shares. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Fiserv Company 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.