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

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

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $84.00 to $74.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Stewart Information Services stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $64.53. 98,575 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 195,517. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.51. Stewart Information Services has a fifty-two week low of $56.16 and a fifty-two week high of $78.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.44 and a beta of 1.23.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio is 94.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the transaction, the director now owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at $4,842,259.60. This trade represents a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.99% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $61,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 210.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth $207,000. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company's stock.

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.