Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Up 7.8% in December

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNFGet Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, a growth of 7.8% from the November 30th total of 2,190,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,050,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fidelity National Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.80.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Fidelity National Financial

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sandra Douglass Morgan sold 2,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.33, for a total transaction of $117,842.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 32,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,824,303.38. This trade represents a 6.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FNF. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Fidelity National Financial by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial during the third quarter worth about $672,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 136.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 157,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,752,000 after buying an additional 90,968 shares during the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 1.9% during the third quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 15,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 867.7% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidelity National Financial Price Performance

Fidelity National Financial stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $56.14. The company had a trading volume of 532,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,186,139. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.49. Fidelity National Financial has a 1 year low of $46.85 and a 1 year high of $64.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.24 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.41 and a beta of 1.36.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNFGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.11). Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 29.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 17th. This is a boost from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 72.73%.

About Fidelity National Financial

(Get Free Report)

Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products.

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