Tradewinds LLC. Makes New Investment in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Tradewinds LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $229,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $1,406,452,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $614,982,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Fiserv by 65.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,116,919,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153,554 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $134,710,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 788.7% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 632,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $109,700,000 after buying an additional 561,377 shares during the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fiserv Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE FI opened at $221.98 on Wednesday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.98 and a 52 week high of $238.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $222.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $124.59 billion, a PE ratio of 41.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $242.32.

Fiserv 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.