Mark Edward Seaton Sells 12,679 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Stock

First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total transaction of $815,006.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

First American Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE FAF opened at $64.49 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $62.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.60 and a beta of 1.33. First American Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $51.60 and a 1 year high of $70.92.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 172.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FAF. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First American Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First American Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in First American Financial by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in First American Financial by 66.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of First American Financial by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 84,344 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,266,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.