Keeley Teton Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Key Points

• Keeley Teton Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services Corporation by 14.7%, owning approximately 41,235 shares valued at $2.94 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• A recent report by Wall Street Zen upgraded Stewart Information Services to a "buy" rating, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $77.50.
• Stewart Information Services reported earnings of $1.34 per share, exceeding analyst expectations and reflecting a 19.9% year-over-year revenue increase of $721.50 million.

Keeley Teton Advisors LLC boosted its position in Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,235 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,280 shares during the quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC owned about 0.15% of Stewart Information Services worth $2,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STC. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 47,737 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,222,000 after buying an additional 2,237 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 16,496 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 29.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 9,065 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,152 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 2,386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $297,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brad Rable sold 5,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.32, for a total transaction of $371,932.08. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 23,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,559,319.04. This represents a 19.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO David C. Hisey sold 2,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.39, for a total transaction of $143,203.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,757,736.01. This trade represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Stewart Information Services Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of STC stock traded down $0.29 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 130,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,310. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 1-year low of $56.39 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $66.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.23. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.04. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.29% and a return on equity of 7.71%. The company had revenue of $721.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $671.90 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on STC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Stewart Information Services from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $77.50.

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.