Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Update

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,780,000 shares, a growth of 9.6% from the March 31st total of 4,360,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,600,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on FNF shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Fidelity National Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Barclays increased their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.64, for a total value of $151,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $754,839.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.64, for a total transaction of $151,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $754,839.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary H. Thompson sold 23,410 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.11, for a total value of $1,196,485.10. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,060,601.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 66,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,390,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 10.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 6.4% during the first quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 4,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 77,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,940,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

FNF stock opened at $50.14 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25 and a beta of 1.34. Fidelity National Financial has a 1 year low of $32.02 and a 1 year high of $53.96.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.80 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 4.40%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.