Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Analysts

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.60.

Several analysts have weighed in on FNF shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Fidelity National Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Barclays increased their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Stephens reduced their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th.

Fidelity National Financial Trading Up 2.6%

FNF stock opened at $44.96 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.26. Fidelity National Financial has a one year low of $37.88 and a one year high of $59.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $41.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.72.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Fidelity National Financial will post 5.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a boost from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s payout ratio is currently 53.06%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Fidelity National Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $112,882,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,210,824 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,287,000 after acquiring an additional 973,891 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 70.3% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 896,177 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,524,000 after acquiring an additional 369,908 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 74.4% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 688,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,464,000 after acquiring an additional 293,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the first quarter valued at about $13,359,000. Institutional investors own 81.17% of the company’s stock.

About Fidelity National Financial

Fidelity National Financial, Inc (NYSE: FNF) is a provider of title insurance and related services for real estate transactions. Through its title operations, the company offers title searches and insurance, escrow and closing services, and other support for buyers, sellers, lenders, and real estate professionals.

FNF also provides annuity and life insurance products through its F&G business. These offerings include fixed and fixed-indexed annuities and life insurance designed to help individuals and institutions address retirement and financial-protection needs.

The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and serves customers primarily in the United States.