First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Shares Sold by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH cut its position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,800 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $175,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,573,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $160,707,000 after acquiring an additional 78,022 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in First American Financial by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,700,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $112,306,000 after buying an additional 12,668 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in First American Financial by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,530,977 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $95,594,000 after buying an additional 37,866 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in First American Financial during the third quarter worth $95,638,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in First American Financial by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,124,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $70,236,000 after buying an additional 6,708 shares during the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First American Financial Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of First American Financial stock opened at $63.86 on Friday. First American Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $51.60 and a 52 week high of $70.92. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.31. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 51.09 and a beta of 1.34.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 172.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FAF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens boosted their price objective on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total value of $7,121,355.60. Following the sale, the director now owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. The trade was a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial 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.