Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Issues Earnings Results

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 2.47%.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE:STC traded down $2.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $66.15. The stock had a trading volume of 77,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,942. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.30 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.43. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $56.16 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is currently 94.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Stewart Information Services from $84.00 to $74.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,842,259.60. The trade was a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.