Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $209.10 and last traded at $208.77, with a volume of 30824 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $203.02.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Fiserv from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Fiserv from $178.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $203.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fiserv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $207.25.

Fiserv Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $119.92 billion, a PE ratio of 40.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $187.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.39.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.04. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.22% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 8.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In related news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total value of $3,177,486.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,764,211.83. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $3,959,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,005,424.03. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total transaction of $3,177,486.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,764,211.83. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 257,890 shares of company stock valued at $46,968,117 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fiserv

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FI. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Fiserv by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,251,722 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $519,690,000 after buying an additional 1,306,901 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 7.4% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 18,840,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,011,031,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303,078 shares during the period. Maj Invest Holding A S bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the third quarter valued at about $172,993,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the second quarter worth about $105,031,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Fiserv by 1,238.6% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 603,887 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,488,000 after purchasing an additional 558,774 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is 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.