First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

First American Financial Co. (NYSE:FAF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $69.00.

FAF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on First American Financial from $61.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on First American Financial from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of First American Financial from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of First American Financial in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

First American Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:FAF opened at $64.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 30.84 and a beta of 1.29. First American Financial has a fifty-two week low of $49.55 and a fifty-two week high of $67.88. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.96.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.62 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 7.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that First American Financial will post 3.89 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 20th were paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 20th. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. This is a positive change from First American Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. First American Financial’s payout ratio is 103.35%.

Institutional Trading of First American Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of First American Financial by 99.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 671 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in First American Financial by 56.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 709 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in First American Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 340.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 864 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 668 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 56.5% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 798 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First American Financial

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.