Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Price Target Raised to $73.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised the price target for Stewart Information Services from $72.00 to $73.00, indicating an 11.62% potential upside from the current stock price.
• Stewart Information Services reported Q2 earnings with $1.34 EPS, surpassing estimates of $1.30 and achieving a 19.9% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Despite the price target increase, Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from a "buy" to a "hold" rating earlier this month.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $72.00 to $73.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "market perform" rating on the insurance provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target points to a potential upside of 11.62% from the stock's current price.

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

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STC traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $65.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 41,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,714. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.43. Stewart Information Services has a 52 week low of $56.39 and a 52 week high of $78.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

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

Insider Activity

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $59.63 per share, for a total transaction of $59,630.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,243 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,090.09. This represents a 5.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.78% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 807.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 853 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 759 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 84.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,461 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 2,735.8% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,503 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,831 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,982 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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