Atala Financial Inc Buys New Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 300 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $62,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $134,710,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in Fiserv by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 108,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,297,000 after acquiring an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in Fiserv by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 72,222 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,836,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its holdings in Fiserv by 285.6% during the fourth quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 83,171 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $17,085,000 after purchasing an additional 61,603 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE:FI opened at $214.91 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.87, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $145.98 and a 1-year high of $238.59.

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

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on FI. KeyCorp raised their price objective 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 raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Compass Point began coverage on shares of Fiserv in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

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.