Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF - Free Report) by 162.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,286 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Fidelity National Financial were worth $871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kaizen Financial Strategies lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 4.8% in the first quarter. Kaizen Financial Strategies now owns 4,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 72,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,053,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 50.6% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 622 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

NYSE FNF opened at $54.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's 50-day moving average is $59.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.69. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.79 and a fifty-two week high of $66.72.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.35). Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 15.36% and a net margin of 9.28%. The firm had revenue of $2.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. The business's revenue was down 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial, Inc. will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Fidelity National Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on FNF. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Fidelity National Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $69.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $71.60.

About Fidelity National Financial

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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