Rhumbline Advisers Reduces Position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Rhumbline Advisers trimmed its stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 85,123 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,934 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $5,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $182,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth $207,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,530 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,842,259.60. This represents a 16.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE STC opened at $70.62 on Thursday. Stewart Information Services Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.23 and a fifty-two week high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.23.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on STC. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

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.