Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Stock Price

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) had its target price boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $78.00 to $81.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on STC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.50.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Stewart Information Services stock opened at $73.16 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $72.55 and its 200-day moving average is $69.30. The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77. Stewart Information Services has a 12 month low of $56.39 and a 12 month high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.22. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 3.65%.The business had revenue of $791.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $737.30 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.0% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,715,422 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $113,286,000 after acquiring an additional 33,413 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 996,558 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $71,104,000 after buying an additional 47,384 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 107.7% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 764,459 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $56,050,000 after purchasing an additional 396,390 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 657,573 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,813,000 after acquiring an additional 10,236 shares during the period. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 92.5% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 568,864 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,709,000 after buying an additional 273,424 shares during the period. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.