Bellecapital International Ltd. Increases Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Bellecapital International Ltd. increased its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,856 shares during the period. Fiserv comprises approximately 2.7% of Bellecapital International Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Bellecapital International Ltd.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $15,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $235.67 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $237.99. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.08. The company has a market capitalization of $132.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.