Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. Acquires 211 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 211 shares during the quarter. Fiserv accounts for 1.5% of Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $3,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FI. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fiserv by 67.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,251,722 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $519,690,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,901 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Fiserv by 7.4% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $172,993,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $105,031,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Fiserv by 1,642.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 500,239 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $74,556,000 after buying an additional 471,531 shares during the period. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on FI shares. UBS Group raised their price target on Fiserv from $185.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $203.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $183.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Fiserv from $199.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.08.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total value of $3,177,486.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Fiserv news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,764,211.83. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,005,424.03. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 227,890 shares of company stock valued at $40,934,217 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Stock Up 0.4 %

Fiserv stock opened at $203.26 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $111.53 and a 12 month high of $204.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $162.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $118.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.99, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.93.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.45%. Fiserv’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv 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.