Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) Stock Rated “Hold” by Wall Street Brokerages

Shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $75.75.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on STC. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Citizens Jmp cut their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

STC opened at $44.60 on Monday. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $42.66 and a 1-year high of $78.61. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.71. 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 (NYSE:STC) last posted its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $900.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $903.67 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 9.39%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a positive change from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5250. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William S. Jr. Corey bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $46.82 per share, for a total transaction of $93,640.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,933.06. This represents a 17.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Clifford Bradley, Jr. bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $47.30 per share, for a total transaction of $94,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,278,708.20. This trade represents a 7.99% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,000 shares of company stock worth $460,960 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the second quarter worth approximately $347,274,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $17,759,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 215,213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,253,000 after buying an additional 2,631 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 10.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 146,870 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $9,044,000 after acquiring an additional 13,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the second quarter worth $8,252,000. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.