Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) Position Trimmed by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Free Report) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,218 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 5,345 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 807.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 853 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.3% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,831 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $59.63 per share, with a total value of $59,630.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 20,243 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,207,090.09. This trade represents a 5.20% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Stewart Information Services stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $60.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 202,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,540. 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $65.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.23. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 12 month low of $58.61 and a 12 month high of $78.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 23.08 and a beta of 1.01.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.09). Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. The business had revenue of $608.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $595.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. Stewart Information Services's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

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.