Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Stewart Information Services from “strong sell” to “hold.” Overall, analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $81.50.
• Stewart’s shares opened at $62.14, down 1.2%, and remain below their 52-week high of $78.61. The company’s latest quarter exceeded revenue expectations but missed earnings estimates, reporting $1.39 EPS versus the $1.63 consensus.
• Institutional investors own 96.9% of the company, including a new BlackRock position valued at approximately $347.3 million. Insider Brian Glaze also sold 1,500 shares in August.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on STC. Benchmark assumed coverage on Stewart Information Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Stewart Information Services from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.50.

Stewart Information Services Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:STC opened at $62.14 on Tuesday. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $57.10 and a 1-year high of $78.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.50.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.24). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 4.12% and a return on equity of 10.02%. The business had revenue of $895.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $838.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Stewart Information Services will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Brian Glaze sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.16, for a total value of $103,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,784 shares of the company's stock, valued at $814,981.44. This trade represents a 11.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.94% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of STC. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter worth $987,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $347,274,000. Seven Grand Managers LLC purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,756,000. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,377,000. Finally, Peregrine Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the first quarter worth about $3,371,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company's stock.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation is a title insurance and real estate services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company provides title insurance, escrow and closing services, and related services that help protect property buyers, lenders and other participants in real estate transactions from title defects and ownership-related risks.

The company also offers valuation and appraisal services, mortgage services, and technology-enabled solutions for the real estate and mortgage industries.

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