13,667 Shares in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Acquired by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,667 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $853,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in First American Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $242,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in First American Financial by 500.7% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,003,327 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $62,646,000 after purchasing an additional 836,314 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in First American Financial by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,189,162 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $74,251,000 after purchasing an additional 295,946 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $385,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in First American Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $240,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their target price on First American Financial from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com cut First American Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens upped their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on First American Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,586,795.36. This trade represents a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total value of $200,202.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

First American Financial Trading Up 0.1%

FAF opened at $61.02 on Tuesday. First American Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $51.85 and a 1-year high of $70.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.82 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $61.85 and a 200-day moving average of $63.26.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.19. First American Financial had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 2.14%. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. First American Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio is 143.05%.

About First American Financial

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.

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