First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $78.50.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Friday, December 26th. Stephens upgraded shares of First American Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of First American Financial in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

First American Financial Stock Performance

FAF traded down $0.09 on Monday, hitting $70.02. 110,995 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,072,255. First American Financial has a fifty-two week low of $53.09 and a fifty-two week high of $71.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.83 and its 200 day moving average is $63.93.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.50. First American Financial had a return on equity of 11.92% and a net margin of 8.34%.The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that First American Financial will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 36.61%.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In other news, Director Parker S. Kennedy purchased 44,841 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.85 per share, for a total transaction of $3,042,461.85. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 251,552 shares in the company, valued at $17,067,803.20. This represents a 21.69% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FAF. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in First American Financial by 2,887.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 478 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in First American Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First American Financial Company 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.