Emerald Advisers LLC Takes Position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Emerald Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 71,318 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,330,000. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 0.26% of Stewart Information Services as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STC. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,770,000. Marietta Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at $225,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at $61,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 0.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,641,717 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $122,702,000 after acquiring an additional 10,811 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 210.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO David C. Hisey sold 12,649 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.27, for a total transaction of $876,196.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 55,917 shares in the company, valued at $3,873,370.59. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE STC traded up $0.28 on Monday, reaching $67.63. 129,690 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 186,605. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 12 month low of $44.05 and a 12 month high of $76.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 1.94. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.54. The company has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 1.21.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.21. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 5.77%. The company had revenue of $667.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $638.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Stewart Information Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is 94.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research upped their target price on Stewart Information Services from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Stewart Information Services from $71.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $79.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

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.