Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Price Target Raised to $84.00

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) had its target price hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $79.00 to $84.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Stewart Information Services stock opened at $74.22 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.01 and a beta of 1.21. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $52.80 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $71.73 and its 200 day moving average is $69.55.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $638.40 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 2.47%. Stewart Information Services’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stewart Information Services

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at $4,842,259.60. This trade represents a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in STC. Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $65,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 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.