Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Sold by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,533 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 839 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Fiserv during the third quarter worth $40,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Compass Point began coverage on shares of Fiserv in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $278.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI opened at $232.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $130.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.11, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $237.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $214.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $199.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.