Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with five buy ratings and one hold rating.
• Institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings, with Norges Bank and Nuveen LLC acquiring new stakes worth approximately $189.7 million and $178.4 million, respectively.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, leading to an annualized yield of 3.5% and a payout ratio of 50.76%.

Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.8333.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FNF shares. Barclays reiterated a "cautious" rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, October 6th. National Bankshares set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the second quarter worth about $189,685,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $178,433,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 252.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,379,555 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $189,458,000 after buying an additional 2,420,421 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 93.3% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,764,086 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $244,967,000 after buying an additional 1,817,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 368.3% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,770,685 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $99,265,000 after buying an additional 1,392,560 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Fidelity National Financial stock opened at $57.09 on Friday. Fidelity National Financial has a 52-week low of $50.61 and a 52-week high of $66.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $58.71 and a 200 day moving average of $57.94. The company has a market capitalization of $15.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 14.30%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. Fidelity National Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.76%.

Fidelity National Financial Company Profile

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.

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