Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Short Interest Up 50.9% in March

Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 965,400 shares, a growth of 50.9% from the February 28th total of 639,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 198,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company's shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,890,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 16.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,247,762 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,258,000 after acquiring an additional 179,364 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter worth $4,034,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 93.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,601 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $6,992,000 after acquiring an additional 50,113 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter valued at $2,643,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company's stock.

Stewart Information Services Trading Down 4.2 %

Stewart Information Services stock traded down $3.04 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $69.61. 144,193 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 171,207. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.01. 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 has a 52 week low of $58.28 and a 52 week high of $78.44.

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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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 6.81%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on STC shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

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.