Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 1.0 %

STC stock opened at $70.27 on Tuesday. Stewart Information Services has a fifty-two week low of $56.16 and a fifty-two week high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $72.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.15.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total value of $956,073.88. Following the transaction, the director now owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,842,259.60. This trade represents a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth about $61,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 210.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.