O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Buys 6,590 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 68,773 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,590 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $14,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FI. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Fiserv has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $242.32.

Fiserv Stock Performance

FI stock opened at $216.15 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $222.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $208.17. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.98 and a 12-month high of $238.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Company 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.