First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAF) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $78.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens upgraded First American Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $70.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of First American Financial from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on First American Financial from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at First American Financial

In other news, Director Parker S. Kennedy purchased 44,841 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.85 per share, with a total value of $3,042,461.85. Following the transaction, the director owned 251,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,067,803.20. The trade was a 21.69% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First American Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First American Financial by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,561 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of First American Financial by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 7,500 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in First American Financial by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 4,850 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC grew its holdings in First American Financial by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 7,639 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in First American Financial by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 21,500 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,381,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:FAF traded down $0.09 on Monday, reaching $70.02. The stock had a trading volume of 110,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,072,255. The company has a 50-day moving average of $63.83 and a 200 day moving average of $63.93. The stock has a market cap of $7.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.25. First American Financial has a 12-month low of $53.09 and a 12-month high of $71.47.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.50. First American Financial had a return on equity of 11.92% and a net margin of 8.34%.The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that First American Financial will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. First American Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

First American Financial Company Profile

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.