Vestor Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Vestor Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 24.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,423 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,649 shares during the period. Fiserv accounts for 2.0% of Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $26,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

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

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of Fiserv stock opened at $218.01 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $220.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $206.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a PEG 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 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.