Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,780,000 shares, an increase of 9.6% from the March 31st total of 4,360,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,600,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on FNF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.20.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Performance

Shares of FNF stock traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $49.49. 707,172 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,568,337. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Fidelity National Financial has a 52-week low of $32.02 and a 52-week high of $53.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.13 and a beta of 1.34.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.27). Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 4.40% and a return on equity of 13.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.06 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Fidelity National Financial's payout ratio is 100.52%.

Insider Activity at Fidelity National Financial

In related news, Director Cary H. Thompson sold 23,410 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.11, for a total value of $1,196,485.10. Following the transaction, the director now owns 40,317 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,060,601.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Fidelity National Financial news, Director Cary H. Thompson sold 23,410 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.11, for a total value of $1,196,485.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 40,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,060,601.87. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.64, for a total transaction of $151,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,906 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,839.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FNF. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5,300.0% in the third quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 594 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 116.0% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 674 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 107.0% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 737 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the period. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.