Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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. Barclays cut their price objective on 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. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.25.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $54.95 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $56.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.38. Fidelity National Financial has a 12-month low of $50.61 and a 12-month high of $66.72. The stock has a market cap of $15.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 1.00.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.90, for a total value of $335,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $737,097.40. This trade represents a 31.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of Fidelity National Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total value of $366,930.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of FNF. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 1,569.6% during the second quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,187,000 after purchasing an additional 19,902 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 76.5% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 50,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,038,000 after buying an additional 21,770 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 165,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,279,000 after acquiring an additional 19,503 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 389.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 120,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,289,000 after acquiring an additional 95,895 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 32.3% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 562,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,228,000 after acquiring an additional 137,381 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.