Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on FNF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays increased their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.40.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

NYSE:FNF opened at $59.93 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 1.39. Fidelity National Financial has a 52 week low of $46.85 and a 52 week high of $64.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $57.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.11.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 9.28% and a return on equity of 15.36%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is 43.01%.

Insider Activity

In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of Fidelity National Financial stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 16,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $916,872.60. This represents a 14.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FNF. Capital Analysts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

About Fidelity National Financial

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.