Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.75.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. National Bank Financial set a $54.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FNF opened at $48.46 on Thursday. Fidelity National Financial has a 1-year low of $42.78 and a 1-year high of $61.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.31 and its 200-day moving average is $49.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.79 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 5.03%.Fidelity National Financial’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 16th. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is presently 73.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Financial

In other news, EVP Peter T. Sadowski sold 69,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.70, for a total value of $3,162,257.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $260,581.40. This represents a 92.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the second quarter valued at $25,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $9,498,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,225,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY acquired a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $278,000. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.