Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Director Thomas Apel Acquires 2,000 Shares of Stock

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) Director Thomas Apel purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $47.73 per share, with a total value of $95,460.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 46,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,204,266.86. This represents a 4.53% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

STC traded down $1.07 on Monday, hitting $43.00. The company had a trading volume of 846,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 405,096. The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $60.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.20. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 1-year low of $42.73 and a 1-year high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $900.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $903.67 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 9.39% and a net margin of 3.58%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.1%. This is an increase from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5250. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is currently 55.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $80.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,794 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 93.6% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,152 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 34.0% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 1,612 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 20.0% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 5,146 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

About Stewart Information Services

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC) is a global provider of title insurance and real estate transaction services. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company helps protect property owners, lenders and other participants from losses arising from defects in a property’s title.

The company offers title searches and examinations, title insurance policies, escrow and closing services, settlement services, and related solutions for residential and commercial real estate transactions.