Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Position in First American Financial Corporation $FAF

by · The Markets Daily

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in First American Financial Corporation (NYSE:FAFFree Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,636,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 245,279 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in First American Financial were worth $279,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in First American Financial by 4,485,375.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,786,263 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $355,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,786,134 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in First American Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $75,011,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in First American Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $63,693,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 8.9% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,133,594 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $393,690,000 after buying an additional 500,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First American Financial by 88.0% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,037,854 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $63,766,000 after buying an additional 485,731 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.05% of the company’s stock.

First American Financial Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:FAF opened at $70.43 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.82, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.85. First American Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $56.20 and a fifty-two week high of $73.50.

First American Financial (NYSE:FAFGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.03 billion. First American Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that First American Financial Corporation will post 6.74 EPS for the current year.

First American Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 8th. First American Financial’s payout ratio is currently 33.79%.

Insider Activity at First American Financial

In other news, SVP Lisa W. Cornehl sold 5,823 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total transaction of $399,632.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 29,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,033,850.05. This represents a 16.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Margaret M. Mccarthy sold 6,630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $468,011.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,695,854.16. This represents a 21.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on FAF shares. Wall Street Zen lowered First American Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First American Financial in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on First American Financial from $87.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Benchmark assumed coverage on First American Financial in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on First American Financial from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.20.

Read Our Latest Research Report on FAF

Trending Headlines about First American Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting First American Financial this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: FAF beat Q2 expectations, posting adjusted EPS of $2.08 versus the $1.80 consensus, and revenue of $2.11 billion versus estimates of $2.03 billion, which points to solid underlying operating performance. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Several recent analyst updates nudged near- and medium-term earnings estimates slightly higher, suggesting some confidence in FAF’s earnings trajectory. Reference
  • Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research maintained a “Hold” rating, indicating analysts see the stock as fairly valued rather than a clear buy at current levels. Reference
  • Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, the stock has been pressured as investors may be taking profits or weighing whether the improvement is enough to justify a further re-rating after the recent run-up. Article Title

About First American Financial

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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