Invesco Ltd. Buys 56,493 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 22.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 305,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,493 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd.’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $19,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of First American Financial by 66.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in First American Financial by 57.6% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 670 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of First American Financial by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,340 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,510 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE FAF opened at $59.24 on Friday. First American Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $51.60 and a 52 week high of $70.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.39 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a fifty day moving average of $63.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.88.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a net margin of 2.14% and a return on equity of 9.35%. Equities research analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 172.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of First American Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total transaction of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at $12,586,795.36. This trade represents a 6.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total transaction of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This trade represents a 18.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on FAF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First American Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th.

About First American Financial

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.