Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Update

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,380,186 shares, an increase of 22.7% from the December 31st total of 3,571,266 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,690,275 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,690,275 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FNF. Barclays decreased their price objective 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 price target on Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fidelity National Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total transaction of $335,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $737,097.40. This trade represents a 31.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total transaction of $366,930.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 276,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,923,630.04. This represents a 2.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 629,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,975,000 after buying an additional 47,267 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 141.9% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 14,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $941,000 after acquiring an additional 8,494 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 20.9% during the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 34,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 6,040 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its position in Fidelity National Financial by 2.3% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 88,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,977 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 25,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

FNF opened at $54.56 on Wednesday. Fidelity National Financial has a twelve month low of $50.61 and a twelve month high of $66.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.16, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.98. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $55.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.19.

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

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. This is a boost from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 50.12%.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

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.