Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Stock Price

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Stephens from $240.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the business services provider's stock. Stephens' price objective suggests a potential upside of 28.25% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on FI. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Fiserv from $268.00 to $266.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Fiserv from $223.00 to $194.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Fiserv from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic restated a "sell" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Fiserv in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Fiserv from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $211.63.

Fiserv Trading Down 1.9%

FI stock traded down $2.65 on Thursday, reaching $140.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,758,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,331,188. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.82. Fiserv has a 12-month low of $128.22 and a 12-month high of $238.59. The firm has a market cap of $77.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.43 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.20 billion. Fiserv had a return on equity of 18.74% and a net margin of 15.68%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Fiserv will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andrew Gelb sold 5,652 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $904,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,061,600. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Adam L. Rosman sold 2,512 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.68, for a total value of $403,628.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 53,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,577,901.80. The trade was a 4.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fiserv

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FI. Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 3,150.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 130 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its holdings in Fiserv by 218.5% during the 2nd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 207 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.98% of the company's stock.

About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides payments and financial services technology services in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. It operates through Merchant Acceptance, Financial Technology, and Payments and Network segments.

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