Ieq Capital LLC Has $1.72 Million Stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) by 329.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,544 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 21,127 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in First American Financial were worth $1,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in First American Financial by 314.7% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,592 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 1,967 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in First American Financial by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,247 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in First American Financial by 2,868.5% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 125,180 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,729,000 after purchasing an additional 120,963 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in First American Financial by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,530,977 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $95,594,000 after purchasing an additional 37,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $593,000. Institutional investors own 89.05% of the company's stock.

First American Financial Stock Down 0.4 %

First American Financial stock traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $64.49. 634,664 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 478,886. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $51.60 and a fifty-two week high of $70.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.60 and a beta of 1.33. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $62.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.17.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 172.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FAF. 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. Stephens upped their target price on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.50.

Insider Transactions at First American Financial

In other news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total value of $7,121,355.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.70% 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.