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

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $84.00 to $74.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price indicates a potential upside of 18.17% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Shares of STC stock traded down $1.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $62.62. 71,777 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 187,754. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.58. Stewart Information Services has a 52-week low of $56.16 and a 52-week high of $78.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total value of $956,073.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,842,259.60. The trade was a 16.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 906.9% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 656,143 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,733,000 after buying an additional 590,977 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 149.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 342,090 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,568,000 after buying an additional 204,688 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Stewart Information Services by 16.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,247,762 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $93,258,000 after buying an additional 179,364 shares during the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth about $5,330,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 7.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 985,673 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $73,669,000 after acquiring an additional 65,965 shares in the last quarter. 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.