Aurora Investment Counsel Sells 1,973 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Aurora Investment Counsel reduced its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,230 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,973 shares during the quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE:FI opened at $209.23 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $238.59. The company has a market cap of $117.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $218.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.09.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FI. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Fiserv from $208.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com cut Fiserv from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens boosted their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Compass Point started coverage on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $278.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

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.