13,700 Shares in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Bought by Navellier & Associates Inc.

Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 13,700 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $925,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 58.7% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Stewart Information Services by 210.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 1,510 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth about $205,000. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth about $207,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in Stewart Information Services by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,530 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE:STC opened at $68.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.21. Stewart Information Services Co. has a twelve month low of $58.23 and a twelve month high of $78.44.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 6.81%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

Insider Transactions at Stewart Information Services

In related news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were 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 owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,842,259.60. This represents a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th.

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.