Short Interest in Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) Rises By 19.5%

Fiserv, Inc. (NYSE:FI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,300,000 shares, an increase of 19.5% from the August 15th total of 7,780,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Fiserv Price Performance

NYSE FI traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $175.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,568,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,450,034. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50-day moving average is $164.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, 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 $176.48.

Fiserv (NYSE:FI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.03. Fiserv had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.45%. The business had revenue of $5.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Fiserv will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Fiserv

In related news, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.86, for a total value of $3,716,640.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 163,699 shares in the company, valued at $25,350,427.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Fiserv news, EVP John Gibbons sold 18,890 shares of Fiserv stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.21, for a total transaction of $3,177,486.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,764,211.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Guy Chiarello sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,350,427.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 66,890 shares of company stock valued at $10,853,407 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fiserv

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aveo Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth approximately $309,000. 9258 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth $552,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Fiserv during the 4th quarter worth about $1,051,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in Fiserv in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,299,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Fiserv in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,367,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Fiserv from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $154.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. KeyCorp raised their target price on Fiserv from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. B. Riley upped their price target on Fiserv from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. BTIG Research began coverage on Fiserv in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Finally, William Blair raised Fiserv to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.32.

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.