Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Sells 14,964 Shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Key Points

• Gamco Investors cut its Stewart Information Services stake by 46.8%, selling 14,964 shares and retaining 17,030 shares valued at approximately $1.05 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.9% of the company.
• Stewart reported quarterly revenue of $895.8 million, up 24.5% year over year and above estimates, but earnings of $1.39 per share missed consensus by $0.24. The company maintains a $0.525 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 3.0% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive but mixed, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $81.50, compared with the stock’s reported price of $69.71.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lowered its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC - Free Report) by 46.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,030 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 14,964 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 0.06% of Stewart Information Services worth $1,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Stewart Information Services by 2.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 128,363 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $9,158,000 after acquiring an additional 3,022 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,583 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,105 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,149,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 44,842.9% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,146 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 3,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 85,522 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $6,102,000 after purchasing an additional 7,923 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stewart Information Services

In related news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $63.87 per share, for a total transaction of $63,870.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,598,921.58. This trade represents a 4.16% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of NYSE STC opened at $69.71 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 2.12. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 1 year low of $57.10 and a 1 year high of $78.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29 and a beta of 0.99.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.24). Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 10.02% and a net margin of 4.12%.The business had revenue of $895.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.07 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 24.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is currently 46.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of Stewart Information Services from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $87.00 target price 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 Saturday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.50.

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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