Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Stewart Information Services was upgraded from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting growing confidence in the company.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.34, exceeding estimates, with revenue increasing 19.9% year-over-year.
• Insiders have recently sold shares, with notable transactions from CFO David C. Hisey and insider Brad Rable, reflecting a decrease in their stock positions.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $77.50.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE STC opened at $69.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.44 and a beta of 0.96. The company's fifty day moving average is $72.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.73. Stewart Information Services has a 52-week low of $56.39 and a 52-week high of $78.44.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $721.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $671.90 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 3.29% and a return on equity of 7.71%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 19.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brad Rable sold 5,694 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.32, for a total transaction of $371,932.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,559,319.04. This trade represents a 19.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO David C. Hisey sold 2,224 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were 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 $3,757,736.01. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 4.5% in the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 4,012 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 1.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 25,582 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 6.4% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 6,211 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $404,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 13.4% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,533 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 138.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 741 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is 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.

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