Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 400 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lowered its stake in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,800 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $175,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in First American Financial by 66.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in First American Financial by 132.3% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in First American Financial by 57.6% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in First American Financial by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in First American Financial in the third quarter worth about $75,000. Institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $63.86 on Friday. First American Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $51.60 and a 52-week high of $70.92. The stock has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.09 and a beta of 1.34. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $62.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.31.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 172.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FAF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens raised their price target on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In other news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total value of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at $31,454,906.40. The trade was a 18.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 195,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,586,795.36. This trade represents a 6.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 127,707 shares of company stock worth $8,136,565. 3.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First American Financial Company Profile

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.