Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. National Bankshares set a $63.00 target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Stephens started coverage on Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Fidelity National Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.25.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

Shares of FNF stock opened at $53.39 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 1.00. Fidelity National Financial has a twelve month low of $50.61 and a twelve month high of $66.72.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Fidelity National Financial

In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total value of $335,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $737,097.40. This represents a 31.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total transaction of $366,930.21. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 276,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,923,630.04. The trade was a 2.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Islay Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 2.3% in the second quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 2.0% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 11,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Burney Co. lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Burney Co. now owns 17,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 4,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 7.7% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.