Quantinno Capital Management LP Increases Stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 77.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 63,425 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,600 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $3,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FAF. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 60,821 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,016,000 after buying an additional 8,047 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $453,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in First American Financial by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 229,303 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,318,000 after acquiring an additional 14,483 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $453,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new position in shares of First American Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $8,460,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Performance

First American Financial stock opened at $60.92 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 48.74 and a beta of 1.29. First American Financial Co. has a one year low of $51.85 and a one year high of $70.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $61.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.28.

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

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 143.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on FAF. Barclays boosted their target price on First American Financial from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of First American Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a 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 $75.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at First American Financial

In other news, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of First American Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total transaction of $200,202.93. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,560,299.25. The trade was a 11.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.