Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Shares Acquired by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 542,367 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,748 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.96% of Stewart Information Services worth $36,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,530 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 310.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 5.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 14,888 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on STC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Shares of STC opened at $71.69 on Friday. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 52-week low of $58.23 and a 52-week high of $78.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 27.57 and a beta of 1.19.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

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.