Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Reaches New 52-Week High at $65.35

Shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $65.35 and last traded at $64.93, with a volume of 309452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Stewart Information Services from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.33.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.62 and a beta of 1.16. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $61.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 2.11.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The insurance provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $582.17 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $566.46 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 3.85%. Stewart Information Services's quarterly revenue was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Stewart Information Services's dividend payout ratio is 171.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total value of $757,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 76,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,851,076.37. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,522,904 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $65,074,000 after purchasing an additional 418,922 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 88.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 853,332 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $34,432,000 after buying an additional 401,039 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 152.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 461,564 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $19,722,000 after acquiring an additional 278,933 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 198.4% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 317,108 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $18,630,000 after acquiring an additional 210,822 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 69.4% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 474,535 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $23,608,000 after acquiring an additional 194,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company's stock.

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.