Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 925 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,498 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 925 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $1,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 74.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,417,000 after acquiring an additional 15,589 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 18,743 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $345,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,930 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $457,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of First American Financial by 449.3% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 47,700 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,149,000 after purchasing an additional 39,017 shares during the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First American Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FAF opened at $65.66 on Tuesday. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $51.60 and a fifty-two week high of $70.92. The company has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.53 and a beta of 1.34. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $63.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.40.

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

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 172.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FAF shares. Stephens raised their price target on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of First American Financial from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at First American Financial

In other First American Financial news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of First American Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.60, for a total transaction of $7,121,355.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 494,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,454,906.40. The trade was a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares in the company, valued at $12,586,795.36. The trade was a 6.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Profile

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.