Essex Financial Services Inc. Has $368,000 Position in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF)

Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Fidelity National Financial were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 195.2% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,261,568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $217,425,000 after acquiring an additional 2,818,001 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 5,942,081 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $245,408,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535,401 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 62.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,061,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $126,420,000 after buying an additional 1,179,506 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 12,859.1% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 875,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,170,000 after acquiring an additional 869,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter worth about $33,040,000. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Financial

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 1.0 %

FNF stock opened at $51.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.11. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.02 and a 12 month 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 4.40% and a return on equity of 13.91%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 4.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 100.52%.

About Fidelity National Financial

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.