Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $749,000 in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 11,098 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $749,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 542,367 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,604,000 after acquiring an additional 5,748 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 310.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $405,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 299,375 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,205,000 after buying an additional 29,496 shares during the period. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter valued at $925,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Trading Down 0.7 %

Stewart Information Services stock traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.49. 147,486 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 166,831. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.94. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 52-week low of $58.23 and a 52-week high of $78.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 1.19. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $68.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.01.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

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.