Strs Ohio Sells 17,069 Shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF)

Strs Ohio lowered its stake in shares of First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) by 37.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,088 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 17,069 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in First American Financial were worth $1,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in First American Financial by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,031,143 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $779,858,000 after purchasing an additional 245,974 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in First American Financial by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,889,562 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $550,453,000 after acquiring an additional 329,543 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in First American Financial by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,193,170 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $206,981,000 after acquiring an additional 90,276 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in First American Financial by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,169,320 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $178,994,000 after acquiring an additional 473,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of First American Financial by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,671,456 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $150,911,000 after buying an additional 72,860 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company's stock.

First American Financial Price Performance

First American Financial stock traded up $1.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $56.58. The company had a trading volume of 434,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 627,518. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's fifty day moving average is $57.79 and its 200-day moving average is $58.25. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.55 and a fifty-two week high of $65.54.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.75 by ($0.06). First American Financial had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 3.61%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that First American Financial Co. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of First American Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $66.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. TheStreet lowered shares of First American Financial from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, 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.