First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Position Lowered by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) by 26.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 419,449 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 154,081 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.41% of First American Financial worth $26,190,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in First American Financial by 66.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in First American Financial by 132.3% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in First American Financial by 214.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,021 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in First American Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. 89.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens raised their price objective on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.50.

Insider Activity

In other First American Financial news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. The trade was a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of First American Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total value of $200,202.93. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,560,299.25. This represents a 11.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over 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.

First American Financial Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE:FAF traded down $1.50 on Tuesday, reaching $63.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 384,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 492,359. The firm has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.96 and a beta of 1.33. First American Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $51.60 and a 12-month high of $70.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.28.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 172.80%.

First American Financial Profile

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.