Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) Short Interest Down 37.3% in December

Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 711,919 shares, a decrease of 37.3% from the December 15th total of 1,135,284 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 232,299 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 232,299 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on STC. Wall Street Zen raised Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.50.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

STC traded down $0.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 713,306 shares, compared to its average volume of 207,615. The company has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.37. Stewart Information Services has a 1 year low of $56.39 and a 1 year high of $78.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $791.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $737.30 million. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 8.57% and a net margin of 3.65%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.07 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 107.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 764,459 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $56,050,000 after purchasing an additional 396,390 shares during the last quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stewart Information Services by 92.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 568,864 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $41,709,000 after buying an additional 273,424 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 23.2% in the third quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 551,519 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,437,000 after acquiring an additional 103,777 shares during the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services in the third quarter worth approximately $7,463,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Stewart Information Services by 193.0% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 118,168 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,664,000 after acquiring an additional 77,844 shares during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.