Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Price Target Cut to $72.00 by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Free Report) had its price target lowered by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $75.00 to $72.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a market perform rating on the insurance provider's stock.

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Stewart Information Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE STC traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.52. The company had a trading volume of 320,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,184. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $58.61 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The firm's 50 day moving average is $63.29 and its 200-day moving average is $65.84.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $608.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $595.50 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.92% and a net margin of 2.88%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. Stewart Information Services's payout ratio is 76.92%.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $59.63 per share, for a total transaction of $59,630.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 20,243 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,207,090.09. The trade was a 5.20% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.78% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $15,890,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $12,698,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 18.6% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 990,168 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $70,648,000 after purchasing an additional 155,210 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter worth about $4,034,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 89.1% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 114,291 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,155,000 after purchasing an additional 53,860 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.