Aviva PLC Increases Stock Position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Aviva PLC grew its holdings in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 346,821 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 25,256 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Fiserv worth $71,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of FI. KCM Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Fiserv by 58.2% in the fourth quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,258 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 831 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth $36,296,000. Smith Moore & CO. grew its stake in Fiserv by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 6,937 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,425,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Broderick Brian C increased its holdings in Fiserv by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Broderick Brian C now owns 97,810 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $20,092,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Fiserv by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Fiserv Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Fiserv stock traded up $1.61 on Friday, hitting $205.99. 661,509 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,703,776. Fiserv, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.98 and a 52 week high of $238.59. The company has a market cap of $115.06 billion, a PE ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $221.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $210.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. Equities research analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FI. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Fiserv from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $246.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $239.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.