Susquehanna Cuts Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Price Target to $250.00

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Susquehanna from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “positive” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Susquehanna’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 16.56% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on FI. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Fiserv from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Fiserv from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Fiserv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $238.48.

Fiserv Stock Performance

NYSE FI traded up $2.23 on Tuesday, reaching $214.47. 294,960 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,707,554. Fiserv has a fifty-two week low of $145.98 and a fifty-two week high of $238.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $119.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $220.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.90.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Equities research analysts predict that Fiserv will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase 60,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vega Investment Solutions purchased a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Fiserv during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fiserv Company Profile

Fiserv, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides payments and financial services technology services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through Merchant Acceptance, Financial Technology, and Payments and Network segments.