Cwm LLC Lowers Stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Cwm LLC decreased its position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 6.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,111 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC owned 0.06% of Stewart Information Services worth $1,237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services during the 1st quarter worth about $576,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,922,385 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $125,070,000 after purchasing an additional 15,910 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $503,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $422,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 83,944 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,211,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares in the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Stewart Information Services from $71.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Stewart Information Services from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $79.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Shares of STC stock opened at $71.30 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.01 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $71.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 12 month low of $38.40 and a 12 month high of $76.83.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The insurance provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.13). Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.16% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $602.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $597.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. This is a boost from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 131.58%.

Insider Transactions at Stewart Information Services

In related news, CFO David C. Hisey sold 12,649 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.27, for a total value of $876,196.23. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 55,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,873,370.59. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.