Aurora Investment Counsel Sells 1,973 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Aurora Investment Counsel trimmed its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 31.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,230 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,973 shares during the quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of FI stock opened at $209.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $117.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $218.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $204.09. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fiserv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.