Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Fiserv Put Options (NYSE:FI)

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 2,355 put options on the company. This is an increase of 47% compared to the typical volume of 1,597 put options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.47, for a total transaction of $3,563,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,304,390.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP John Gibbons sold 2,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.76, for a total value of $416,528.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,213,329.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.47, for a total value of $3,563,280.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,304,390.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,800 shares of company stock valued at $7,696,448 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fiserv

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FI. Meritage Portfolio Management purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter worth about $995,000. Piscataqua Savings Bank purchased a new position in Fiserv in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $78,000. Liberty Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,071,000. Finally, Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,583,000. 90.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Fiserv Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:FI opened at $156.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $151.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Fiserv has a 1 year low of $109.11 and a 1 year high of $162.47.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Fiserv had a net margin of 16.68% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Fiserv will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Fiserv from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Fiserv from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $154.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Fiserv in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Fiserv from $171.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Fiserv from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Fiserv has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.19.

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.