Capital International Investors Raises Position in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Key Points

• Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 842,077 shares worth about $59.2 million and representing roughly 3.01% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is generally constructive: Stewart has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with four Buy ratings and one Hold, and an average price target of $83.00.
• The company posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.78 beating estimates and revenue rising 27.7% year over year; it also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC - Free Report) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 842,077 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 77,618 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned approximately 3.01% of Stewart Information Services worth $59,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,407 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,676 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 14,647 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,479 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,087,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 28,704 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,105,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Stewart Information Services from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised Stewart Information Services to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings raised Stewart Information Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Monday, May 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $83.00.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In related news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.87 per share, with a total value of $63,870.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,921.58. This trade represents a 4.16% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO David C. Hisey sold 10,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.28, for a total value of $783,509.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,414,299.12. This trade represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.94% of the company's stock.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of STC opened at $65.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.17 and a 200-day moving average of $68.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 52 week low of $56.39 and a 52 week high of $78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $778.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $730.43 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 10.07% and a net margin of 4.19%.The business's revenue was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.88%.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation NYSE: STC is a publicly traded provider of title insurance and real estate transaction services. The company underwrites title insurance policies for residential and commercial properties, offering lenders and property owners protection against title defects and liens. Beyond title insurance, Stewart delivers a range of ancillary services, including closing and escrow administration, property valuation, and risk mitigation solutions designed to streamline the mortgage process and reduce operational complexity for clients.

In addition to core title and settlement services, Stewart offers technology-driven products aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency in real estate transactions.

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