Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Shares Acquired by Seeds Investor LLC

Seeds Investor LLC increased its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,112 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the quarter. Seeds Investor LLC’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on FI. StockNews.com started coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Sunday, March 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Fiserv presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.35.

Insider Activity

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 stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $207.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $116.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.59, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $221.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $210.44.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors 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.