Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of STC opened at $69.56 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.09. The stock has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81 and a beta of 1.21. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $56.16 and a 1-year high of $78.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.94.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $667.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $638.40 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total value of $956,073.88. Following the sale, the director now owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,842,259.60. The trade was a 16.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 149.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 342,090 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,568,000 after purchasing an additional 204,688 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Stewart Information Services by 0.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,488,342 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $185,979,000 after buying an additional 8,853 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 5.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 66,071 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $4,938,000 after buying an additional 3,272 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $503,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,247,762 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,258,000 after acquiring an additional 179,364 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.