Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

by · The Markets Daily

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. National Bankshares set a $63.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fidelity National Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.25.

Check Out Our Latest Report on FNF

Fidelity National Financial Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $52.31 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $56.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Fidelity National Financial has a 12-month low of $50.61 and a 12-month high of $66.72. The company has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 1.00.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Fidelity National Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were paid a $0.52 dividend. This is a boost from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 50.12%.

Insider Transactions at Fidelity National Financial

In other news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total transaction of $335,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $737,097.40. This represents a 31.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total transaction of $366,930.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 276,308 shares in the company, valued at $15,923,630.04. The trade was a 2.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Windacre Partnership LLC lifted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 31.0% in the third quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 18,905,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,143,569,000 after acquiring an additional 4,477,900 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $189,685,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 167.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,741,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $286,792,000 after purchasing an additional 2,970,460 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 252.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,379,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $189,458,000 after purchasing an additional 2,420,421 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 75.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,057,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $304,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,174,220 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.

Featured Articles