Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $37.94 and last traded at $38.0830, with a volume of 180057 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on FNF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Fidelity National Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $54.00 price objective on Fidelity National Financial in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.25.

Fidelity National Financial Trading Down 1.1%

The stock has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $45.84 and its 200 day moving average is $47.49.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $4.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 5.03%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC now owns 138,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,339,000 after purchasing an additional 3,170 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 28.3% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 43,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,070,000 after purchasing an additional 9,687 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 314.2% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 112,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,291,000 after purchasing an additional 85,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 44.7% during the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 13,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $618,000 after purchasing an additional 4,042 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial, Inc (NYSE:FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services in the United States. Through its title insurance companies, the company helps protect property owners and lenders against losses arising from defects in property titles and supports the closing of residential and commercial real estate transactions.

FNF operates a portfolio of well-known title brands, including Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Commonwealth Land Title and Alamo Title.