StockNews.com Upgrades Fiserv (NYSE:FI) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fiserv (NYSE:FI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday.

FI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Fiserv from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Fiserv from $176.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. William Blair raised shares of Fiserv to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup raised shares of Fiserv to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. They issued a buy rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $174.88.

Fiserv Trading Up 0.6 %

FI opened at $178.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Fiserv has a twelve month low of $109.11 and a twelve month high of $179.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $168.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.79. The firm has a market cap of $104.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.45%. The company had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. Fiserv’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fiserv will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total transaction of $3,177,486.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,764,211.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total value of $3,177,486.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,764,211.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $3,959,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,005,424.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 211,890 shares of company stock worth $36,572,057 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FI. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in Fiserv by 19.4% during the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,931 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Fiserv by 2.0% in the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 34,966 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,211,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Fiserv by 95.5% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 260 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Fiserv during the second quarter worth $9,083,000. Finally, New Century Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 2nd quarter valued at $257,000. Institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

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.