Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on STC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Stewart Information Services from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STC opened at $65.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28 and a beta of 1.02. Stewart Information Services has a 1 year low of $56.39 and a 1 year high of $78.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.39.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 2.0% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,715,422 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $113,286,000 after buying an additional 33,413 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 764,459 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $56,050,000 after acquiring an additional 396,390 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 657,573 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $42,813,000 after acquiring an additional 10,236 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 92.5% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 568,864 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,709,000 after purchasing an additional 273,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 23.2% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 551,519 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,437,000 after purchasing an additional 103,777 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

About Stewart Information Services

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.