QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 1,506 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 35,370 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,506 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $2,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FAF. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 66.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 132.3% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $87,000. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First American Financial Price Performance

NYSE FAF opened at $65.65 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 52.52 and a beta of 1.33. First American Financial Co. has a one year low of $51.60 and a one year high of $70.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.24.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. As a group, equities analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 172.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on FAF. Stephens increased their price target on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First American Financial news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total transaction of $7,121,355.60. Following the transaction, the director now owns 494,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total value of $200,202.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,560,299.25. This trade represents a 11.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

First American Financial Company Profile

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.