Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Has Lowered Expectations for Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target for Stewart Information Services from $82 to $78 but maintained an "outperform" rating, implying roughly a 21% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst consensus is "Buy" with an average target of $80, as multiple brokers (Stephens, Weiss, Citizens Jmp, Wall Street Zen) have recently raised ratings or initiated coverage positively.
• Stewart recently beat quarterly estimates with $1.65 EPS (vs. $1.35 est.) and $794.4M in revenue (up 18.7% YoY), while shares trade around $64.45 and sit within a 52-week range of $56.39–$78.61.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $82.00 to $78.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective indicates a potential upside of 21.02% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on STC. Stephens raised shares of Stewart Information Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Friday, March 27th. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Monday, February 2nd. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $80.00.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STC traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $64.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 60,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,552. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $65.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.31. Stewart Information Services has a fifty-two week low of $56.39 and a fifty-two week high of $78.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 2.21.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $794.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $774.05 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 9.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $65.34 per share, for a total transaction of $65,340.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 21,243 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,388,017.62. This represents a 4.94% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of STC. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 6,964 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 1,766 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1,204.5% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 52,689 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,702,000 after acquiring an additional 48,650 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $645,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,901,000. Finally, VARCOV Co. bought a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $461,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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