Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Buys 16,441 Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT increased its holdings in shares of Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 510,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,441 shares during the period. Fiserv accounts for about 1.8% of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Fiserv were worth $104,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FI. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Fiserv by 3.7% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,660 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $837,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its stake in Fiserv by 41.4% in the third quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 3,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after buying an additional 943 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv in the third quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Fiserv in the 3rd quarter valued at about $202,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Fiserv Price Performance

NYSE:FI opened at $234.63 on Friday. Fiserv, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $238.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $213.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.74. The stock has a market cap of $133.48 billion, a PE ratio of 43.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 17.93% and a net margin of 15.31%. Equities research analysts expect that Fiserv, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fiserv declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback 60,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Fiserv from $214.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Fiserv from $258.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Fiserv from $190.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Fiserv from $230.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Fiserv presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $239.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.55, for a total value of $10,599,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 227,711 shares in the company, valued at $53,637,326.05. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Fiserv Company Profile

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.