Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Hits New 12-Month High at $72.96

Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $72.96 and last traded at $72.35, with a volume of 15658 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $79.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.46 and its 200-day moving average is $62.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 45.91 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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 net margin of 1.83% and a return on equity of 4.69%. The company had revenue of $554.32 million during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 17th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 125.00%.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,922,748 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $112,963,000 after purchasing an additional 59,639 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,922,385 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $125,070,000 after buying an additional 15,910 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 951,699 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $55,912,000 after buying an additional 8,004 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.5% during the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 780,128 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $50,755,000 after buying an additional 74,351 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 259,559 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,249,000 after buying an additional 6,879 shares during the period. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.