First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) Short Interest Update

First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,231,362 shares, an increase of 21.8% from the January 15th total of 2,653,192 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,211,772 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,211,772 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

First American Financial Stock Down 3.1%

NYSE FAF traded down $2.09 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $65.91. The company had a trading volume of 223,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,081,733. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.70. First American Financial has a fifty-two week low of $53.09 and a fifty-two week high of $68.75. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.27.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.50. First American Financial had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 11.93%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that First American Financial will post 5.35 earnings per share for the current year.

First American Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.61%.

Institutional Trading of First American Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in First American Financial by 10.6% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 210,739 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,538,000 after purchasing an additional 20,188 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in First American Financial by 129.0% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 64,774 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,976,000 after purchasing an additional 36,485 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP grew its stake in shares of First American Financial by 29.4% in the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 10,880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 2,470 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First American Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,215,000. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,598,007 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $102,657,000 after buying an additional 380,744 shares in the last quarter. 89.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FAF has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens began coverage on First American Financial in a report on Friday, November 14th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Friday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of First American Financial from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First American Financial in a report on Friday, December 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of First American Financial from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.67.

About First American Financial

First American Financial Corporation is a leading provider of title insurance, settlement services and diversified real estate-related data and analytics. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, the company serves customers throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Its business is built on the underwriting capabilities of its title insurance operations combined with comprehensive closing and escrow services for homebuyers, sellers, mortgage lenders and real estate professionals.

The company’s title insurance segment issues policies that protect property owners and mortgage lenders against defects in titles, liens or encumbrances that can arise during real property transactions.