Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday.

FNF has been the subject of a number of other reports. National Bankshares set a $63.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Stephens assumed coverage on Fidelity National Financial in a report on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays dropped 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 note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.25.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:FNF opened at $52.88 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $56.44 and its 200 day moving average is $57.20. The firm has a market cap of $14.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.75 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. Fidelity National Financial has a 52-week low of $50.61 and a 52-week high of $66.72.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.57 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Financial

In related 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 transaction of $335,400.00. Following the sale, the director 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel D. Lane sold 6,367 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.63, for a total transaction of $366,930.21. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 276,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,923,630.04. This trade represents a 2.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Windacre Partnership LLC grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $189,685,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $286,792,000 after purchasing an additional 2,970,460 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $189,458,000 after purchasing an additional 2,420,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 75.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,057,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $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.

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.