FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV - Get Free Report) TSE: FSV has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $201.67.

Separately, Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of FirstService from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstService

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FSV. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in FirstService by 486.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 469,141 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $87,308,000 after buying an additional 389,129 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of FirstService by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 388,430 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $69,992,000 after acquiring an additional 63,807 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of FirstService by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 200,776 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,634,000 after purchasing an additional 10,191 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in FirstService by 253.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,503,000 after purchasing an additional 13,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in FirstService by 65.4% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 21,103 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,851,000 after purchasing an additional 8,348 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.35% of the company's stock.

FirstService Price Performance

Shares of FSV traded up $3.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $176.99. 105,707 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 128,406. The company has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.59 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average price is $179.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.31. FirstService has a 52-week low of $141.26 and a 52-week high of $197.84.

FirstService Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This is an increase from FirstService's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. FirstService's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.04%.

FirstService Company Profile

FirstService Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides residential property management and other essential property services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: FirstService Residential and FirstService Brands. The FirstService Residential segment offers services for private residential communities, such as condominiums, co-operatives, homeowner associations, master-planned communities, active adult and lifestyle communities, and various other residential developments.