North Star Asset Management Inc. Invests $9.50 Million in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. $FNF

North Star Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 244,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,498,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $36,362,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,664,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,859,000 after acquiring an additional 136,268 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $7,047,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 369,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,155,000 after acquiring an additional 64,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 23.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 711,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,578,000 after acquiring an additional 134,228 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $47.30 on Friday. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.78 and a 12 month high of $61.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.25. The company has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.08. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 5.03%.The business had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 5.18 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Monday. National Bank Financial set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Peter T. Sadowski sold 69,196 shares of Fidelity National Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.70, for a total value of $3,162,257.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,581.40. This trade represents a 92.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial 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.