StockNews.com Downgrades Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE:STC opened at $67.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 25.82 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $69.12 and its 200 day moving average is $69.88. Stewart Information Services has a fifty-two week low of $58.28 and a fifty-two week high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.86.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 6.81%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,612 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 75.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,563 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 4,544 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 5.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 66,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,938,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth about $341,000. Finally, Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at about $758,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

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.