Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, a growth of 7.8% from the November 30th total of 2,190,000 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,050,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Financial

In other news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $117,842.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,824,303.38. This trade represents a 6.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FNF. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter valued at $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter valued at $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 280.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on FNF shares. Barclays raised their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.80.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 0.1 %

FNF opened at $56.14 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $59.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41 and a beta of 1.36. Fidelity National Financial has a one year low of $46.85 and a one year high of $64.83.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.11). Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 13.72%. The company had revenue of $3.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 29.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.73%.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.