Professional Advisory Services Inc. Sells 51,456 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Professional Advisory Services Inc. lessened its holdings in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI - Free Report) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 139,714 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 51,456 shares during the quarter. Fiserv accounts for approximately 4.0% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Fiserv were worth $28,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Fiserv by 146.9% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 19,803 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,068,000 after purchasing an additional 11,783 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $204,000. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 1,645 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in Fiserv by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RDA Financial Network raised its position in Fiserv by 103.9% during the fourth quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 14,951 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,071,000 after acquiring an additional 7,619 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Doyle Simons sold 40,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total transaction of $8,078,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 76,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,386,074.60. The trade was a 34.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Heidi Miller sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.13, for a total transaction of $6,033,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,684,555.55. The trade was a 47.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 90,821 shares of company stock worth $18,581,095. Insiders own 0.75% of the company's stock.

Fiserv Price Performance

FI traded up $2.41 on Friday, hitting $208.67. 2,579,770 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,085,694. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12 month low of $136.93 and a 12 month high of $223.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $209.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.76.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.22% and a return on equity of 17.10%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Fiserv, Inc. will post 8.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Fiserv from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Fiserv from $190.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Fiserv from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $278.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $224.00.

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.