LSV Asset Management Sells 656,995 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

LSV Asset Management trimmed its position in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 32.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,344,065 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 656,995 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $86,612,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in First American Financial by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 71,680 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,619,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its position in First American Financial by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 273,816 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,643,000 after buying an additional 31,718 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First American Financial by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 11,178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $720,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of First American Financial by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 129,229 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,328,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FAF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on First American Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. TheStreet downgraded First American Financial from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First American Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.75.

First American Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FAF traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.38. 524,366 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 686,033. The company has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02 and a beta of 1.28. First American Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $49.55 and a 1 year high of $65.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $57.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.32.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 8.17%. First American Financial’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Company 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.