Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on FI. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $176.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $186.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Fiserv from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $174.88.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI stock opened at $178.38 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average of $168.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.69. Fiserv has a 52 week low of $109.11 and a 52 week high of $179.53. The company has a market cap of $104.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.34, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. Fiserv’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Fiserv will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total transaction of $3,716,640.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,350,427.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total transaction of $3,716,640.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,350,427.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,764,211.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 211,890 shares of company stock valued at $36,572,057 in the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fiserv

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cooper Financial Group boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 3.1% in the first quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,243 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 5.9% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 3.3% in the second quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 3.1% in the second quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Fiserv by 3.0% in the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 2,447 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.