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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.11 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 2.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.10.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $582.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $566.46 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 3.85%. Stewart Information Services’s quarterly revenue was down 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total transaction of $757,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 76,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,851,076.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 74.9% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 698 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $115,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 60.3% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,255 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 92.8% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,960 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $179,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

About Stewart Information Services

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.