Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Stock Price

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $265.00 to $230.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the business services provider's stock. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 28.20% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Fiserv from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $246.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stephens boosted their price target on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Fiserv in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Fiserv from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $268.00 price target (up previously from $267.00) on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE:FI traded up $1.88 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $179.41. The stock had a trading volume of 451,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,341,951. Fiserv has a twelve month low of $146.25 and a twelve month high of $238.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $212.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.29, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. On average, analysts expect that Fiserv will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Fiserv

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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company's stock, 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 at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Fiserv

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FI. Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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