Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $853,000 in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 13,667 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $853,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 500.7% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,003,327 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $62,646,000 after acquiring an additional 836,314 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 33.1% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,189,162 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $74,251,000 after acquiring an additional 295,946 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $385,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on FAF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on First American Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. 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 report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens upped their target price on First American Financial from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised First American Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First American Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.00.

First American Financial Trading Up 0.3%

FAF stock traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $55.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,092,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,842. First American Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $51.85 and a 12 month high of $70.92. The firm's 50-day moving average is $61.24 and its 200-day moving average is $63.09. The company has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 44.49 and a beta of 1.29.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be paid a $0.54 dividend. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 143.05%.

Insider Transactions at First American Financial

In other First American Financial news, CFO Mark Edward Seaton sold 12,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.28, for a total value of $815,006.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 195,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,586,795.36. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 3,057 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.49, for a total transaction of $200,202.93. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

First American Financial Company 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.