Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Upgraded to Overweight at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Fiserv (NYSE:FI) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $175.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock, up from their previous target price of $154.00.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Fiserv from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Fiserv from $171.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Fiserv from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Fiserv from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Fiserv from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $170.19.

Fiserv Price Performance

Shares of FI opened at $156.01 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average is $151.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Fiserv has a fifty-two week low of $109.11 and a fifty-two week high of $162.47.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In other Fiserv news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total transaction of $3,716,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at $25,350,427.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP John Gibbons sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.76, for a total transaction of $416,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,213,329.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total transaction of $3,716,640.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,350,427.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,800 shares of company stock valued at $7,696,448 over the last 90 days. 0.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FI. Cooper Financial Group raised its holdings in Fiserv by 3.1% in the first quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,243 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Fiserv by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Fiserv by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Fiserv by 0.8% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 9,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Fiserv by 2.8% in the first quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 2,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 90.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.