FJ Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 63,977 First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

FJ Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 63,977 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,995,000. FJ Capital Management LLC owned about 0.06% of First American Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FAF. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of First American Financial by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 60,821 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,016,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 5.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 214,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,180,000 after buying an additional 10,489 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of First American Financial by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in First American Financial by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,978 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 2,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in First American Financial by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 232,034 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,488,000 after acquiring an additional 3,773 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $60.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.40 and a beta of 1.29. First American Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $51.85 and a 52-week high of $70.92.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.19. First American Financial had a net margin of 2.14% and a return on equity of 9.35%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at First American Financial

In related news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This trade represents a 18.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 owns 23,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,560,299.25. The trade was a 11.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565 over the last quarter. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FAF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens lifted their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of First American Financial from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of First American Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First American Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.00.

First American Financial 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.