Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires New Shares in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF)

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Fidelity National Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter worth about $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 280.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 141.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

NYSE FNF opened at $57.71 on Friday. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.85 and a 52-week high of $64.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $58.74 and a 200-day moving average of $58.35. The company has a market capitalization of $15.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of Fidelity National Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total value of $153,580.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,872.60. The trade was a 14.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total value of $117,842.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,824,303.38. This trade represents a 6.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FNF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.40.

Fidelity National Financial Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.