HMV Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $869,000 in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

HMV Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 4,228 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $869,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Trading Up 2.6 %

Fiserv stock opened at $214.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $218.96 and a 200 day moving average of $204.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. 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.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. As a group, research analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $233.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Compass Point initiated coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

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.