Heartland Advisors Inc. Invests $8.25 Million in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Heartland Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 125,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,252,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $347,274,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,044,758 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,665,000 after purchasing an additional 90,233 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 842,077 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $59,164,000 after purchasing an additional 77,618 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 75.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 701,148 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,263,000 after buying an additional 302,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Stewart Information Services by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 663,625 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $46,634,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Stewart Information Services

In other Stewart Information Services news, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.87 per share, with a total value of $63,870.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,598,921.58. This trade represents a 4.16% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE STC opened at $69.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 0.98. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.88. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 1 year low of $57.10 and a 1 year high of $78.61.

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

Stewart Information Services Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research lowered Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Stewart Information Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Stewart Information Services from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $71.00 in a report on Monday, July 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

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.