WoodTrust Financial Corp Acquires 786 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

WoodTrust Financial Corp raised its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 43.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 786 shares during the quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Trading Down 5.9 %

NYSE:FI opened at $223.82 on Wednesday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.98 and a 12 month high of $238.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.52, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $217.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.24.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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 declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on FI shares. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.83.

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.