Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

NYSE STC traded down $0.68 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.54. 184,900 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 182,108. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.69 and a beta of 1.21. Stewart Information Services has a 12-month low of $52.80 and a 12-month high of $78.44. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.57. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business had revenue of $667.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $638.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Stewart Information Services will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Stewart Information Services by 57.7% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter valued at $61,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at about $65,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the third quarter valued at $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.