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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 2.8 %

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

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $667.94 million during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. Analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,842,259.60. This trade represents a 16.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.99% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 630,751 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $47,151,000 after buying an additional 8,597 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 337.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 45,500 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,400,000 after acquiring an additional 35,088 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 16.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,247,762 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,258,000 after acquiring an additional 179,364 shares during the last quarter. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth $758,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth $341,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.