DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Grows Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its position in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI - Free Report) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,653,855 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 378,674 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned approximately 0.47% of Fiserv worth $545,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Fiserv during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,406,452,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at $614,982,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Fiserv by 343.7% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,806,579 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $576,527,000 after acquiring an additional 2,174,025 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Fiserv by 65.6% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,437,246 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,116,919,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153,554 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Fiserv by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,568,895 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,376,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126,419 shares during the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Fiserv Stock Performance

Shares of FI traded up $2.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $184.09. 3,881,970 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,847,504. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $211.10. Fiserv, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.25 and a 12-month high of $238.59.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.06. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 20th that permits the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FI shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Fiserv from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on Fiserv from $265.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Fiserv from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $268.00 target price (up from $267.00) on shares of Fiserv in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Fiserv from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.00.

Fiserv Company Profile

Fiserv, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides payments and financial services technology services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through Merchant Acceptance, Financial Technology, and Payments and Network segments.