Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on FNF. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Thursday, June 11th. National Bank Financial set a $51.00 price target on Fidelity National Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $67.00 to $64.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Up 6.2%

Shares of FNF opened at $51.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Fidelity National Financial has a one year low of $42.78 and a one year high of $61.40. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.08.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.16). Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 15.49%. The business had revenue of $3.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 75.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Peter T. Sadowski sold 69,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.70, for a total value of $3,162,257.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,702 shares in the company, valued at $260,581.40. The trade was a 92.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 5.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 17,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $958,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 2.0% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 11,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 11,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 4,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company underwrites title insurance policies that protect property owners and lenders against title defects, liens, and other encumbrances. Alongside its core title insurance operations, FNF offers escrow and closing services, e-recording solutions, and real estate data and analytics through a network of agents and underwriters.

FNF operates through two primary segments: Title Insurance and Specialty Insurance and Services.