Citizens Jmp Has Lowered Expectations for Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Stock Price

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Citizens Jmp from $80.00 to $75.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market outperform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s target price points to a potential upside of 47.07% from the company’s previous close.

STC has been the subject of several other reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $87.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $77.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stewart Information Services from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.25.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

NYSE STC opened at $50.99 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17 and a beta of 1.04. Stewart Information Services has a 1-year low of $48.74 and a 1-year high of $78.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.57.

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

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In related news, insider Brian Glaze sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.16, for a total transaction of $103,740.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 11,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $814,981.44. This trade represents a 11.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 2.4% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,417 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 7.0% during the 1st 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 period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 16,116 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 13,253 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $816,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 96.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

Stewart Information Services Corporation is a global real estate services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Through its Stewart Title operations, the company provides title insurance and related services that help protect property owners, lenders and other parties involved in real estate transactions from certain title defects and ownership-related risks.

The company’s business includes title examination, search and insurance services, escrow and closing services, settlement services, and related transaction support.