24,261 Shares in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Purchased by Duality Advisers LP

Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 24,261 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,563,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $167,000. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management now owns 62,198 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,514,000 after purchasing an additional 1,776 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 231.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,250 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 13,442 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 20,260 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of First American Financial by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 21,828 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares in the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First American Financial Price Performance

First American Financial stock traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $58.16. 541,390 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 695,254. First American Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.55 and a fifty-two week high of $65.54. The company's fifty day moving average price is $57.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.27. The company has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 27.95 and a beta of 1.28.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. First American Financial's revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that First American Financial Co. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. First American Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 101.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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