First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) Shares Up 6.2% on Analyst Upgrade

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAFGet Free Report)’s stock price shot up 6.2% during mid-day trading on Friday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on the stock from $84.00 to $86.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the stock. First American Financial traded as high as $73.22 and last traded at $73.21. 57,913 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 1,009,367 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.96.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research downgraded First American Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on First American Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $84.00 price target on shares of First American Financial in a report on Friday, June 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on First American Financial from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.60.

View Our Latest Report on First American Financial

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 5,823 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total transaction of $399,632.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 29,635 shares in the company, valued at $2,033,850.05. The trade was a 16.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First American Financial News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting First American Financial this week:

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First American Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 616.4% during the first quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 437 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in First American Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in First American Financial by 1,107.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 483 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in First American Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in First American Financial by 568.8% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Up 8.9%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.97. The company has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.23.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAFGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.28. First American Financial had a return on equity of 13.32% and a net margin of 9.33%.The business had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that First American Financial Corporation will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 30.47%.

About First American Financial

(Get Free Report)

First American Financial Corporation is a leading provider of title insurance, settlement services and diversified real estate-related data and analytics. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, the company serves customers throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Its business is built on the underwriting capabilities of its title insurance operations combined with comprehensive closing and escrow services for homebuyers, sellers, mortgage lenders and real estate professionals.

The company’s title insurance segment issues policies that protect property owners and mortgage lenders against defects in titles, liens or encumbrances that can arise during real property transactions.

Recommended Stories

Receive News & Ratings for First American Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First American Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.