Insider Selling: First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) CFO Sells 12,679 Shares of Stock

First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total transaction of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

First American Financial Stock Performance

FAF traded up $1.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $65.65. 751,383 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 485,871. The company's fifty day moving average price is $62.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 52.52 and a beta of 1.33. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $51.60 and a fifty-two week high of $70.92.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. Research analysts forecast that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial's payout ratio is 172.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FAF has been the subject of several research reports. Stephens lifted their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First American Financial

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth $385,000. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in First American Financial by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 36,697 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,291,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 161,257 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $10,069,000 after acquiring an additional 3,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 386,546 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $24,136,000 after acquiring an additional 53,633 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.05% of the company's stock.

First American Financial Company 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.