Insider Buying: Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) CEO Buys 3,000 Shares of Stock

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) CEO Frederick Eppinger acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $44.45 per share, for a total transaction of $133,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 173,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,719,853.75. The trade was a 1.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE STC traded up $0.51 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.47. The stock had a trading volume of 876,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,545. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.20. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89 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. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 12 month low of $42.73 and a 12 month high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.17). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 9.39%. The firm had revenue of $900.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $903.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.55 dividend. This is a positive change from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5250. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Stewart Information Services during the second quarter valued at $347,274,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the second quarter worth $17,759,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at $10,991,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at $8,252,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at $8,211,000. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Stewart Information Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Three directors purchased a combined 6,000 shares for approximately $283,700 on October 23. Thomas Apel, William Corey Jr. and C. Allen Bradley Jr. each bought 2,000 shares, increasing their holdings by roughly 4.5%, 17.5% and 8.0%, respectively. The purchases may bolster confidence that insiders view STC as undervalued following its recent decline. Thomas Apel insider purchase William Corey insider purchase C. Allen Bradley insider purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: Stephens lowered its STC price target from $80 to $70 but maintained an “overweight” rating. The revised target still indicates considerable potential upside from recent trading levels, although the reduction reflects a more cautious valuation outlook. Stephens STC rating
• Negative Sentiment: Stewart Information Services’ latest quarterly results missed expectations: adjusted earnings were $1.33 per share versus the $1.50 consensus estimate, while revenue of $900.7 million was slightly below forecasts. Earnings also declined from $1.64 per share in the year-earlier quarter, highlighting near-term profitability pressure.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Stewart Information Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on Stewart Information Services from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on Stewart Information Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $75.75.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

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.