Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) Short Interest Update

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,230,000 shares, a growth of 7.2% from the October 31st total of 2,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,020,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Barclays raised their target price on Fidelity National Financial from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Fidelity National Financial from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fidelity National Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.60.

Fidelity National Financial Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of FNF opened at $62.25 on Thursday. Fidelity National Financial has a 52 week low of $45.36 and a 52 week high of $64.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.04 and a 200-day moving average of $56.39.

Fidelity National Financial (NYSE:FNF) last announced its 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). The company had revenue of $3.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Fidelity National Financial had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 5.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Financial will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fidelity National Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Fidelity National Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. Fidelity National Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Halim Dhanidina sold 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.85, for a total transaction of $103,445.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $803,585.10. This represents a 11.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Fidelity National Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Fidelity National Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 280.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 685 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. 81.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Fidelity National Financial

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.