Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Update

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

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $48.59 on Wednesday. Fidelity National Financial has a 1 year low of $45.94 and a 1 year high of $66.72. The company has a market cap of $13.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $53.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.98.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last released its 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). The business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 4.17% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at Fidelity National Financial

In related news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $737,097.40. This represents a 31.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FNF. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter worth $26,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in Fidelity National Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.