Capital International Investors Takes Position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 666,656 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $41,626,000. Capital International Investors owned about 0.65% of First American Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in FAF. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of First American Financial by 66.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 524 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in First American Financial by 57.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 670 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in First American Financial by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of First American Financial by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,340 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,510 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First American Financial Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE FAF traded down $1.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $60.98. The company had a trading volume of 714,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 660,834. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $51.85 and a fifty-two week high of $70.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.78 and a beta of 1.23.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. On average, analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FAF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First American Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of First American Financial from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded First American Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, First American Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.50.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In related news, Director Dennis J. Gilmore sold 111,971 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were 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 owns 494,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,454,906.40. This represents a 18.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 23,825 shares in the company, valued at $1,560,299.25. This trade represents a 11.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 127,707 shares of company stock valued at $8,136,565. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.