Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Reaches New 12-Month High at $65.35

Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $65.35 and last traded at $64.93, with a volume of 309452 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $62.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.33.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 3.6 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $61.42 and its 200-day moving average is $53.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 58.11 and a beta of 1.16.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $582.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $566.46 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 3.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is 171.17%.

Insider Transactions at Stewart Information Services

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total value of $757,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 76,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,851,076.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,522,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $65,074,000 after acquiring an additional 418,922 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 88.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 853,332 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,432,000 after purchasing an additional 401,039 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 152.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 461,564 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $19,722,000 after buying an additional 278,933 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 198.4% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 317,108 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,630,000 after purchasing an additional 210,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 69.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 474,535 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,608,000 after buying an additional 194,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance and real estate transaction related services in the United States and internationally. The company involves in searching, examining, closing, and insuring the condition of the title to real property. It also offers home and personal insurance services; services for tax-deferred exchanges; and digital customer engagement platform services.