Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Down 16.6% in March

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,060,000 shares, a decline of 16.6% from the March 15th total of 2,470,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,320,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

NYSE FNF traded down $0.52 on Friday, reaching $62.69. 847,473 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,114,521. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Fidelity National Financial has a 12 month low of $47.79 and a 12 month high of $66.72. The stock has a market cap of $17.24 billion, a PE ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 1.09.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 9.28% and a return on equity of 15.36%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 6.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Fidelity National Financial's payout ratio is 43.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on FNF shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Fidelity National Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Fidelity National Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $69.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Fidelity National Financial from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Fidelity National Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $71.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,054,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,518,829,000 after buying an additional 150,493 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,412,888 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $472,300,000 after purchasing an additional 387,729 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,093,184 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $454,351,000 after purchasing an additional 98,751 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,497,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $252,037,000 after purchasing an additional 34,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,385,420 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $190,060,000 after purchasing an additional 16,095 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.17% of the company's stock.

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.