Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Hits New 52-Week High at $65.35

Shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $65.35 and last traded at $64.93, with a volume of 309452 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $62.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on STC shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Stewart Information Services from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.33.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 3.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of 58.11 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.42 and a 200 day moving average of $53.10. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 3.85% and a net margin of 1.35%. The firm had revenue of $582.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $566.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 171.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total value of $757,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 76,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,851,076.37. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,522,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $65,074,000 after buying an additional 418,922 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 88.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 853,332 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $34,432,000 after purchasing an additional 401,039 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 152.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 461,564 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $19,722,000 after purchasing an additional 278,933 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 317,108 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,630,000 after acquiring an additional 210,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 69.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 474,535 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,608,000 after purchasing an additional 194,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

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.