Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Given Buy (B-) Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Stewart Information Services received a "buy (B-)" rating from Weiss Ratings, indicating a positive outlook from analysts.
• Despite a minor decline of 0.6% in stock price, Stewart's recent earnings report revealed $1.34 EPS, exceeding estimates and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 19.9%.
• Institutional investors hold a significant portion of the company, with over 96.90% of the shares owned by such funds, reflecting strong market confidence.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reiterated by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Stewart Information Services from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Stewart Information Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stewart Information Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $77.50.

Stewart Information Services Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of STC traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $67.61. 112,691 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 147,349. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 0.96. The firm's 50 day moving average is $71.80 and its 200-day moving average is $66.92. Stewart Information Services has a 52 week low of $56.39 and a 52 week high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 1.91.

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

Insider Transactions at Stewart Information Services

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.0% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,715,422 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $113,286,000 after acquiring an additional 33,413 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 5.0% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 996,558 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $71,104,000 after buying an additional 47,384 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 18.6% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 990,168 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $70,648,000 after buying an additional 155,210 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 657,573 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,813,000 after purchasing an additional 10,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in Stewart Information Services by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 517,454 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,764,000 after acquiring an additional 5,921 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

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.

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