Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $150.00 to $160.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the stock. Fiserv traded as high as $158.50 and last traded at $157.91, with a volume of 149844 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.78.

FI has been the topic of several other reports. BNP Paribas upgraded Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $150.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Fiserv from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $144.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 63,646 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.00, for a total value of $9,801,484.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,209,646. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fiserv

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FI. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth about $1,608,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,071,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $645,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,218,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,698,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Fiserv Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $132.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $94.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.91.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 16.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

About Fiserv

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.