59,778 Shares in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Bought by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 59,778 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,034,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.22% of Stewart Information Services as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 310.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $182,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,530 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter worth $356,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on STC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday.

Stewart Information Services Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE STC opened at $64.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.94 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $68.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 52-week low of $58.61 and a 52-week high of $78.44.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.09). Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. The firm had revenue of $608.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $595.50 million. Equities analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

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.

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