Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Stock Holdings Increased by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $827,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FI. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the 3rd quarter valued at about $764,543,000. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Fiserv by 17.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,442,476 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,696,341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,427,664 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 561,377 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 1,238.6% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 603,887 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,488,000 after buying an additional 558,774 shares during the period. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth approximately $97,254,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Price Performance

FI stock opened at $232.47 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $213.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.86. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $237.99. The stock has a market cap of $132.26 billion, a PE ratio of 43.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

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

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 at the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.