First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.00.

Several brokerages recently commented on FAF. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. TheStreet cut First American Financial from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised First American Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $69.00 in a report on Thursday, March 21st.

First American Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:FAF opened at $57.09 on Tuesday. First American Financial has a 1 year low of $49.55 and a 1 year high of $65.54. The stock has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.27.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 8.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that First American Financial will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First American Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FAF. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in First American Financial by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,327 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in First American Financial by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 44,007 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,486,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in First American Financial by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,910 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in First American Financial by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 117,044 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,612,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 0.6% in the third quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 55,462 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,133,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First American Financial

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.