Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.40.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on 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. Stephens increased their price objective on Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $76.00 to $77.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd.

Fidelity National Financial Trading Up 2.7 %

FNF stock opened at $63.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 1.32. 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 has a one year low of $46.85 and a one year high of $65.65. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $58.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.63.

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

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $117,842.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 32,386 shares in the company, valued at $1,824,303.38. The trade was a 6.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.85, for a total transaction of $153,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $916,872.60. The trade was a 14.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 1.6% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 29,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 73.1% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 812 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 4.3% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 17,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,058,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

Fidelity National Financial Company 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.