Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.20% of Stewart Information Services worth $3,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 310.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP raised 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 valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $341,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE:STC opened at $71.99 on Wednesday. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 1-year low of $58.23 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50-day moving average is $68.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 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%. Analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is 76.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Stewart Information Services 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.