StockNews.com Upgrades Fiserv (NYSE:FI) to Buy

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Fiserv from $186.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Fiserv from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. B. Riley increased their price target on Fiserv from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Fiserv from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Fiserv from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.88.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $178.41 on Thursday. Fiserv has a 1-year low of $109.11 and a 1-year high of $179.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $167.88 and a 200-day moving average of $157.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $104.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.45%. The company had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Fiserv will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, CEO Frank Bisignano sold 145,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.37, for a total value of $25,718,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,965,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,916,949.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Frank Bisignano sold 145,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.37, for a total transaction of $25,718,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,965,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $525,916,949.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total value of $3,716,640.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at $25,350,427.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 211,890 shares of company stock worth $36,572,057 in the last three months. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fiserv

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $5,885,279,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $2,329,623,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $927,298,000. Northern Trust Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $784,200,000. Finally, BlueSpruce Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $646,368,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.