Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Benchmark started coverage on Stewart Information Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $77.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, July 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stewart Information Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of STC stock opened at $62.14 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.97. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $57.10 and a 1-year high of $78.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $895.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.07 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 10.02% and a net margin of 4.12%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is presently 48.25%.

Insider Transactions at Stewart Information Services

In other news, insider Brian Glaze sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.16, for a total transaction of $103,740.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 11,784 shares in the company, valued at $814,981.44. The trade was a 11.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at about $987,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $347,274,000. Seven Grand Managers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter worth about $1,756,000. Peregrine Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 1st quarter worth about $3,371,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,377,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation is a title insurance and real estate services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company provides title insurance, escrow and closing services, and related services that help protect property buyers, lenders and other participants in real estate transactions from title defects and ownership-related risks.

The company also offers valuation and appraisal services, mortgage services, and technology-enabled solutions for the real estate and mortgage industries.