Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on STC. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday.

Stewart Information Services Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Stewart Information Services stock opened at $66.71 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.66 and a beta of 1.23. Stewart Information Services has a 52-week low of $58.23 and a 52-week high of $78.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.31.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 available at this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 310.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in Stewart Information Services by 58.7% during 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. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. 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.