Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on STC. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $79.00 price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE STC opened at $62.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90 and a beta of 1.21. Stewart Information Services has a 12 month low of $38.40 and a 12 month high of $66.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.43.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 4.69% and a net margin of 1.83%. The company had revenue of $554.32 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Stewart Information Services will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 17th were paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 17th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of STC. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 14,266 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $625,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Stewart Information Services by 146.7% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 90,807 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after purchasing an additional 53,998 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 10,766 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth $666,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 136,935 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,045,000 after purchasing an additional 17,451 shares during the period. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stewart Information Services

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.