Wellington Wealth Strategies LLC. Buys New Stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Wellington Wealth Strategies LLC. bought a new stake in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,641 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,570,000. Fiserv makes up approximately 1.5% of Wellington Wealth Strategies LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Fiserv by 51.9% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 205 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company's stock.

Fiserv Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Fiserv stock opened at $169.27 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $201.41 and a 200-day moving average of $210.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $93.85 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.97. Fiserv, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.25 and a 1-year high of $238.59.

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

Fiserv declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire 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.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total transaction of $10,599,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Barclays reduced their price target on Fiserv from $265.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Fiserv from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded 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. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Fiserv from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.80.

Fiserv 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.

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