Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Has $51.18 Million Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina cut its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 249,151 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $51,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Fiserv by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 123,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,339,000 after purchasing an additional 6,072 shares in the last quarter. Chiron Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,709,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 170.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 4,310 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $97,254,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Fiserv by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 140,460 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,234,000 after acquiring an additional 15,103 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Trading Up 7.6 %

Shares of NYSE:FI opened at $210.55 on Thursday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $238.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $221.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $210.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $117.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.06, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Sell-side analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on FI. Susquehanna raised their price target on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.