First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $84.60.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of First American Financial from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of First American Financial in a report on Friday, June 12th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on First American Financial from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered First American Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Steven Adams sold 3,253 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.99, for a total transaction of $243,942.47. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $767,447.66. The trade was a 24.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. lifted its position in First American Financial by 616.4% during the 1st quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 437 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of First American Financial by 568.8% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 150.4% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 934 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares during the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First American Financial Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $71.99 on Friday. First American Financial has a 1 year low of $56.20 and a 1 year high of $79.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.53. The firm has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.21.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.28. First American Financial had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 13.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First American Financial will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 28th. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.47%.

First American Financial Company Profile

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF) provides title insurance, settlement services and risk solutions for real estate transactions. Through its title insurance operations, the company protects property buyers, lenders and other parties against certain losses arising from defects in ownership records, liens and other title-related issues.

The company also offers escrow and closing services, real estate data and analytics, valuation products, and technology solutions designed to support mortgage lenders, real estate professionals, homebuilders and commercial property participants.