By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Fiserv (NYSE:FI – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Monness Crespi & Hardt from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $145.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 28.91% from the company’s previous close.
Several other research analysts have also issued reports on FI. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Fiserv has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.35.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Fiserv
Fiserv Stock Performance
Shares of FI opened at $203.96 on Wednesday. Fiserv has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $210.22. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $113.93 billion, a PE ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.
Fiserv (NYSE:FI – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Fiserv will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv
In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fiserv
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its position in shares of Fiserv by 98.5% during the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,273 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv during the first quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Salvus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Fiserv by 18.9% in the first quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,484 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,082,000 after purchasing an additional 2,943 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fiserv by 46.4% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 669 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cypress Wealth Services LLC raised its position in shares of Fiserv by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.
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