Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The insurance provider reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, reports. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 1.83% and a return on equity of 4.68%. The firm had revenue of $554.32 million during the quarter.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Stewart Information Services stock opened at $62.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 40.58 and a beta of 1.16. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $36.81 and a 1-year high of $65.35.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 125.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on STC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective 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. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $79.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,851,076.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $236,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $206,000. Azarias Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 107.8% in the 3rd quarter. Azarias Capital Management L.P. now owns 160,856 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,045,000 after purchasing an additional 83,452 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,728 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 215.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,665 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 4,550 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.