Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Director C Allen Bradley Jr Purchases 2,000 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Director C. Allen Bradley Jr. purchased 2,000 Stewart Information Services shares at $47.30 each, investing $94,600 and increasing his stake by 7.99% to 27,034 shares.
• STC recently traded near $43, close to its one-year low of $42.73, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.33—below the $1.50 analyst consensus—and revenue of $900.7 million.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.55, equivalent to a $2.20 annualized payout and a 5.1% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $75.75.

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) Director Clifford Bradley, Jr. bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $47.30 per share, with a total value of $94,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 27,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,278,708.20. This represents a 7.99% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

STC traded down $1.07 on Monday, reaching $43.00. The company had a trading volume of 846,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 405,096. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 1 year low of $42.73 and a 1 year high of $78.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $60.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.20.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The insurance provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.17). Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 9.39%. The firm had revenue of $900.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $903.67 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.55 dividend. This is an increase from Stewart Information Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.5250. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.14%.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter worth $347,274,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter worth $17,759,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 215,213 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,253,000 after acquiring an additional 2,631 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 146,870 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,044,000 after acquiring an additional 13,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $8,252,000. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings cut Stewart Information Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Stephens reduced their price objective on Stewart Information Services from $80.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $87.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $75.75.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation NYSE: STC is a global provider of title insurance and real estate transaction services. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company helps protect property owners, lenders and other participants from losses arising from defects in a property's title.

The company offers title searches and examinations, title insurance policies, escrow and closing services, settlement services, and related solutions for residential and commercial real estate transactions.

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