Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Up 22.7% in February

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 6,040,410 shares, an increase of 22.7% from the February 12th total of 4,924,227 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,168,779 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,168,779 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $47.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24. Fidelity National Financial has a 52-week low of $45.94 and a 52-week high of $66.72. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $53.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.99.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.10). Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The firm had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.65%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total value of $335,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $737,097.40. This represents a 31.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Windacre Partnership LLC increased its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 31.0% during the third quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 18,905,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,143,569,000 after buying an additional 4,477,900 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial in the second quarter worth $189,685,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 167.8% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,741,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $286,792,000 after acquiring an additional 2,970,460 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 252.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,379,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $189,458,000 after acquiring an additional 2,420,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 75.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,057,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $304,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,174,220 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FNF has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Fidelity National Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. National Bank Financial set a $71.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.33.

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.