First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) Stock Price Up 6.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAFGet Free Report) traded up 6.2% 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. Approximately 57,913 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 1,009,367 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.96.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered First American Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First American Financial in a report on Monday, July 20th. Truist Financial upped their price target on First American Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of 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 MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on First American Financial

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First American Financial news, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 5,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $399,632.49. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 29,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,033,850.05. This trade represents a 16.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

First American Financial News Summary

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First American Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in First American Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 616.4% in the 1st quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 437 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in First American Financial by 568.8% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First American Financial Stock Up 8.9%

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

First American Financial (NYSE:FAFGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that First American Financial Corporation will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

Further Reading

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