First National Financial Co. (TSE:FN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of First National Financial Co. (TSE:FN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$40.17.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on FN shares. Scotiabank cut their price target on First National Financial from C$45.00 to C$41.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on First National Financial from C$43.00 to C$41.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Securities dropped their price objective on First National Financial from C$44.00 to C$42.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on First National Financial from C$41.00 to C$39.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd.

First National Financial Price Performance

FN opened at C$35.59 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is C$36.51 and its 200 day moving average price is C$37.86. First National Financial has a 12-month low of C$32.86 and a 12-month high of C$41.80. The company has a current ratio of 16.25, a quick ratio of 10.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5,813.50. The firm has a market cap of C$2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.11, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.06.

First National Financial (TSE:FN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported C$0.82 earnings per share for the quarter. First National Financial had a return on equity of 36.66% and a net margin of 34.57%. The company had revenue of C$518.05 million for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First National Financial will post 3.734359 earnings per share for the current year.

First National Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.204 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $2.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.88%. First National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Martine Irman purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$36.76 per share, for a total transaction of C$367,638.00. In related news, Director Martine Irman acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of C$36.76 per share, with a total value of C$367,638.00. Also, insider FNSC Holdings Inc. acquired 20,539 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$38.36 per share, with a total value of C$787,876.04. 71.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About First National Financial

First National Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, originates, underwrites, and services commercial and residential mortgages in Canada. It operates in two segments, Residential and Commercial segments. The company offers single-family and multi-unit residential, and commercial mortgages.