StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Thursday morning.
A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on STC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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 set a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday, February 6th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Stewart Information Services
Stewart Information Services Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:STC traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $68.69. 196,770 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,533. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $66.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.42 and a beta of 1.19. Stewart Information Services has a 12 month low of $58.23 and a 12 month high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.86.
Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 EPS 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 expect that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 29,717 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,831 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 6,850 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,982 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Stewart Information Services
(
Get Free Report)
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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