First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on FAF. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on First American Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First American Financial from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First American Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of First American Financial from $81.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.50.

First American Financial Stock Performance

First American Financial stock opened at $70.44 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $64.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.57. The company has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.28. First American Financial has a 1 year low of $53.09 and a 1 year high of $71.47.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.84 EPS. Equities analysts expect that First American Financial will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In related news, Director Parker S. Kennedy acquired 44,841 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.85 per share, with a total value of $3,042,461.85. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 251,552 shares in the company, valued at $17,067,803.20. This trade represents a 21.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 6,630 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total transaction of $468,011.70. Following the sale, the director owned 24,024 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,695,854.16. This represents a 21.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First American Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bar Harbor Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 135,649 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,334,000 after acquiring an additional 46,639 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in First American Financial by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 210,739 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,538,000 after purchasing an additional 20,188 shares during the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC increased its stake in First American Financial by 16.9% in the third quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 1,547,790 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $99,430,000 after purchasing an additional 224,277 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 4.1% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,293,573 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $275,816,000 after buying an additional 168,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First American Financial in the third quarter valued at about $1,215,000. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First American Financial

First American Financial Corporation is a leading provider of title insurance, settlement services and diversified real estate-related data and analytics. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, the company serves customers throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Its business is built on the underwriting capabilities of its title insurance operations combined with comprehensive closing and escrow services for homebuyers, sellers, mortgage lenders and real estate professionals.

The company's title insurance segment issues policies that protect property owners and mortgage lenders against defects in titles, liens or encumbrances that can arise during real property transactions.

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