Fiserv Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:FI)

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 6,491 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 73% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,745 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on FI. KeyCorp raised their target price on Fiserv from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on Fiserv in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Fiserv from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.79.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Fiserv stock opened at $214.49 on Wednesday. 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 has a 12 month low of $146.25 and a 12 month high of $238.59. The company has a market cap of $119.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $218.60 and its 200-day moving average is $211.87.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Equities analysts anticipate that Fiserv will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Fiserv declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Fiserv

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,406,452,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Fiserv by 21,681.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,821,905 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $843,991,000 after purchasing an additional 3,804,358 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $614,982,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Fiserv by 343.7% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,806,579 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $576,527,000 after buying an additional 2,174,025 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 65.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,116,919,000 after acquiring an additional 2,153,554 shares in the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Company 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.