Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Has $9.10 Million Stock Holdings in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC cut its stake in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 141,184 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 19,216 shares during the quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned about 0.14% of First American Financial worth $9,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FAF. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in First American Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in First American Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in First American Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in First American Financial by 161.3% during the fourth quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 925 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in First American Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company's stock.

First American Financial Stock Up 0.2 %

First American Financial stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $60.63. 456,063 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 712,011. The company has a fifty day moving average of $58.42 and a 200-day moving average of $58.23. The company has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.15 and a beta of 1.28. First American Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $49.55 and a twelve month high of $65.54.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. First American Financial had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 3.61%. The firm's revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 4.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. First American Financial's payout ratio is currently 101.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on FAF shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First American Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $66.00 to $69.00 in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on First American Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet cut First American Financial from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.00.

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.