Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 150,493 Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,054,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 150,493 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Fidelity National Financial worth $1,518,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC boosted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 16,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $937,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 72,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,053,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:FNF opened at $64.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $60.63 and a 200-day moving average of $60.03. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $46.85 and a one year high of $66.10. The stock has a market cap of $17.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.96 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 9.28% and a return on equity of 15.36%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is currently 43.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FNF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total transaction of $153,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,872.60. The trade was a 14.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.