Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 279,429 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the previous session’s volume of 181,089 shares.The stock last traded at $71.45 and had previously closed at $73.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on STC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.50.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $72.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.83. The company has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.22. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 3.65%.The firm had revenue of $791.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $737.30 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Institutional Trading of Stewart Information Services

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of STC. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,676 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 14,647 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 28,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 3.7% in the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,184 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.90% 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.