Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on STC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 1.6 %

STC stock opened at $68.37 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29 and a beta of 1.23. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $58.23 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is 76.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,842,259.60. The trade was a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 47,737 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,222,000 after buying an additional 2,237 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,831 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 292,776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $19,759,000 after buying an additional 32,638 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 807.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter worth about $4,034,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.