First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) Hits New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Shares of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $53.77 and last traded at $54.66, with a volume of 941754 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on FAF. Barclays cut their price objective on First American Financial from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on First American Financial from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut First American Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.50.

First American Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.44 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $58.83 and a 200 day moving average of $61.23.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last released its 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 10.05% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. First American Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that First American Financial Corporation will post 5.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 143.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FAF. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of First American Financial by 57.6% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 670 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of First American Financial by 645.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 962 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $66,000. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.