First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.75.

FAF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of First American Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on First American Financial from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Stephens initiated coverage on First American Financial in a research note on Friday, November 14th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on First American Financial from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on First American Financial from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th.

First American Financial Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of FAF opened at $61.31 on Friday. First American Financial has a 12 month low of $53.09 and a 12 month high of $68.64. The firm has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $62.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.77.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 11.01%. The firm’s revenue was up 40.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that First American Financial will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First American Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FAF. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new stake in First American Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $184,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 50.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,618 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC purchased a new position in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $261,000. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First American Financial

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.