Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Given New $75.00 Price Target at Citizens Jmp

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) had its target price reduced by Citizens Jmp from $80.00 to $75.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market outperform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Benchmark initiated 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 objective on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.25.

Stewart Information Services Stock Down 1.3%

STC opened at $50.05 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 1.98. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 1.04. Stewart Information Services has a one year low of $48.74 and a one year high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.24). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 4.12% and a return on equity of 10.02%. The firm had revenue of $895.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $838.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 5.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.5250. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brian Glaze sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.16, for a total value of $103,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $814,981.44. The trade was a 11.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 20.4% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,794 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 93.6% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,152 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Stewart Information Services by 34.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 5,146 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation is a global real estate services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company provides title insurance and related services that help protect property owners, lenders and other parties involved in real estate transactions from certain title defects and ownership-related risks.

The company’s business includes title examination, search and insurance services, escrow and closing services, settlement services, and related transaction support.