Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its holdings in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 308 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.08% of Stewart Information Services worth $1,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of STC. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $182,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 54,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,671,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% in the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE STC opened at $71.68 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.57 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.86. Stewart Information Services Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.23 and a fifty-two week high of $78.44.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share 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 $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.