Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $6.71 Million in First American Financial Corporation $FAF

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 109,264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,713,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $391,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $735,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in First American Financial by 1,107.5% during the fourth 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. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in First American Financial by 568.8% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Price Performance

Shares of FAF stock opened at $68.20 on Tuesday. First American Financial Corporation has a 12-month low of $53.09 and a 12-month high of $71.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.41.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. First American Financial had a return on equity of 12.58% and a net margin of 8.73%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First American Financial Corporation will post 6.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First American Financial

In other news, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 5,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly 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 through this link. Also, Director Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 6,630 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $468,011.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,695,854.16. The trade was a 21.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FAF has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded First American Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stephens upped their price objective on First American Financial from $81.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen cut First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on First American Financial from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.50.

First American Financial Profile

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.