Royal Bank of Canada Reduces Stake in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its holdings in Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) by 72.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,534 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 37,939 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Stewart Information Services by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 5,407 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 0.9% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 28,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 7.0% in the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 4,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.9% during the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 16,116 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $992,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 981 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:STC opened at $69.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 0.98. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 52-week low of $57.10 and a 52-week high of $78.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $895.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $838.07 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 4.12% and a return on equity of 10.02%. Stewart Information Services’s quarterly revenue was up 24.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is presently 46.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on STC shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.87 per share, for a total transaction of $63,870.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,034 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,921.58. This trade represents a 4.16% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE: STC) is a publicly traded provider of title insurance and real estate transaction services. The company underwrites title insurance policies for residential and commercial properties, offering lenders and property owners protection against title defects and liens. Beyond title insurance, Stewart delivers a range of ancillary services, including closing and escrow administration, property valuation, and risk mitigation solutions designed to streamline the mortgage process and reduce operational complexity for clients.

In addition to core title and settlement services, Stewart offers technology-driven products aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency in real estate transactions.