World Investment Advisors Acquires 7,117 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 62,919 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,117 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Fiserv were worth $12,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $1,406,452,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $614,982,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Fiserv by 65.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,116,919,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153,554 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Fiserv by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,030,889 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,649,705,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $134,710,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of FI stock opened at $226.39 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $127.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.98 and a 12-month high of $238.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $222.85 and a 200-day moving average of $208.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Fiserv has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $243.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company 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.