Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Stake Boosted by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 377 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $2,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Down 1.4 %

FI stock opened at $216.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50-day moving average of $222.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.91. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52-week low of $145.98 and a 52-week high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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

Fiserv announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $242.32.

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.