Nwam LLC Decreases Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Nwam LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 140 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Fiserv by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 2,160 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Fiserv by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $848,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 864 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in Fiserv by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC raised its stake in Fiserv by 1.7% during the third quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,216 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fiserv currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI opened at $235.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $201.08. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $237.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.28 billion, a PE ratio of 43.72, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

About Fiserv

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.