Susquehanna Has Lowered Expectations for Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Stock Price

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) had its price objective cut by analysts at Susquehanna from $250.00 to $240.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “positive” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Susquehanna’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 35.17% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $246.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Fiserv from $267.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Fiserv from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut shares of Fiserv from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $268.00 target price (up from $267.00) on shares of Fiserv in a report on Friday. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.33.

Fiserv Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE FI opened at $177.55 on Friday. Fiserv has a 1 year low of $146.25 and a 1 year high of $238.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $216.08 and its 200-day moving average is $211.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.17 billion, a PE ratio of 32.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.06. Fiserv had a net margin of 15.31% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The firm had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.86 billion. Equities analysts expect that Fiserv will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that allows the company to repurchase 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.