US Bancorp DE Decreases Position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

US Bancorp DE decreased its holdings in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,366 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 204 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $273,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in First American Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $95,638,000. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the third quarter worth $43,431,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial during the third quarter worth $36,803,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in First American Financial by 83.1% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 893,216 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $58,961,000 after buying an additional 405,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP increased its position in First American Financial by 1,801.7% during the third quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 249,174 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $16,448,000 after buying an additional 236,071 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of FAF opened at $63.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 51.09 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.78 and its 200-day moving average is $64.30. First American Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $51.60 and a 12 month high of $70.92.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The insurance provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.22. First American Financial had a net margin of 2.14% and a return on equity of 9.35%. Equities research analysts predict that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 172.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on FAF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at First American Financial

In related news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total value of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares in the company, valued at $31,454,906.40. This trade represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total transaction of $200,202.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,560,299.25. The trade was a 11.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 127,707 shares of company stock worth $8,136,565 over the last three months. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About First American Financial

First American Financial Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services. It operates through Title Insurance and Services, and Home Warranty segments. The Title Insurance and Services segment issues title insurance policies on residential and commercial property, as well as offers related products and services internationally.