Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on STC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Stephens upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $80.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of STC stock opened at $72.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.09 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Stewart Information Services has a twelve month low of $56.39 and a twelve month high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $778.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $730.43 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 4.19% and a return on equity of 10.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is 46.88%.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other news, CFO David C. Hisey sold 10,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.28, for a total value of $783,509.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,414,299.12. This trade represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $65.34 per share, for a total transaction of $65,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,388,017.62. The trade was a 4.94% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of STC. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 128,363 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,158,000 after buying an additional 3,022 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,583 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,105 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,149,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 44,842.9% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,146 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 3,139 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 85,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,102,000 after acquiring an additional 7,923 shares during the period. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Stewart Information Services

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC) is a publicly traded provider of title insurance and real estate transaction services. The company underwrites title insurance policies for residential and commercial properties, offering lenders and property owners protection against title defects and liens. Beyond title insurance, Stewart delivers a range of ancillary services, including closing and escrow administration, property valuation, and risk mitigation solutions designed to streamline the mortgage process and reduce operational complexity for clients.

In addition to core title and settlement services, Stewart offers technology-driven products aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency in real estate transactions.