Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys Shares of 59,778 Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 59,778 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,034,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.22% of Stewart Information Services as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 310.9% in 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 period. KBC Group NV raised 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 worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,530 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $356,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 0.4 %

STC stock traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $65.46. 166,733 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 168,456. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 52 week low of $58.61 and a 52 week high of $78.44. The company has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.18 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $68.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.09). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 6.81%. The company had revenue of $608.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $595.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.17 earnings per share. Stewart Information Services's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is 76.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th.

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.