US Bancorp DE Acquires 1,667 Shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 39.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,879 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,667 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in STC. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 37.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,522,904 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $65,074,000 after purchasing an additional 418,922 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 152.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 461,564 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $19,722,000 after purchasing an additional 278,933 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 69.4% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 474,535 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $23,608,000 after purchasing an additional 194,349 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 33.9% in the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 649,566 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,210,000 after purchasing an additional 164,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the first quarter worth $6,197,000. Institutional investors own 98.08% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Trading Up 0.9 %

Stewart Information Services stock opened at $46.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 2.09. Stewart Information Services Co. has a one year low of $35.96 and a one year high of $54.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s fifty day moving average is $44.51 and its 200 day moving average is $33.48.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The insurance provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.05). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.06% and a return on equity of 4.83%. The business had revenue of $549.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $585.83 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 34.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 2.39 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is 97.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $41.91 per share, with a total value of $41,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,894.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Frederick H. Eppinger bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $42.00 per share, with a total value of $84,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 117,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,931,472. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $41.91 per share, for a total transaction of $41,910.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 16,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,894.25. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $48.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. 888 restated a “downgrade” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.50.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance and real estate transaction related services. The company operates through Title and Real Estate Solutions segments. The Title segment is involved in searching, examining, closing, and insuring the condition of the title to real property.