Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $78.44 and last traded at $76.23, with a volume of 60924 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Stewart Information Services from $71.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 35.45 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $71.66 and a 200-day moving average of $69.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $667.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $638.40 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 2.47%. Stewart Information Services’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.34%.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,842,259.60. The trade was a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STC. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 57.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $61,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $204,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Stewart Information Services

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.