Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $78.61 and last traded at $78.2750, with a volume of 108034 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on STC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.50.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $71.86 and its 200 day moving average is $68.03.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.22. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.65% and a return on equity of 8.57%. The company had revenue of $791.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $737.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 138.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 741 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 96.7% during the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 2,735.8% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,503 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth $143,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.