Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Acquires 42,706 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI - Free Report) by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 233,329 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 42,706 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Fiserv were worth $48,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soros Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 71.7% during the third quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 54,797 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $9,844,000 after purchasing an additional 22,884 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Fiserv by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 123,353 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $25,339,000 after buying an additional 6,072 shares during the period. Chiron Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,709,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of Fiserv by 170.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 6,839 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 4,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $97,254,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $239.83.

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Fiserv Stock Performance

FI stock traded up $3.81 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $221.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,685,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,519,593. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.55 billion, a PE ratio of 41.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $220.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $206.46. Fiserv, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Analysts predict that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Fiserv Profile

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.