Confluence Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Confluence Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 55,965 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 774 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $3,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at about $61,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Stewart Information Services by 210.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,226 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Atria Investments Inc bought a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Finally, Marietta Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Matthew Morris sold 12,899 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.12, for a total transaction of $956,073.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at $4,842,259.60. This trade represents a 16.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on STC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Stewart Information Services from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th.

Stewart Information Services Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE STC opened at $65.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 31.05 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $71.95 and its 200 day moving average is $70.38. Stewart Information Services Co. has a twelve month low of $56.16 and a twelve month high of $78.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $667.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $638.40 million. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 5.77%. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is 94.34%.

About Stewart Information Services

Stewart Information Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance and real estate transaction related services in the United States and internationally. The company involves in searching, examining, closing, and insuring the condition of the title to real property. It also offers home and personal insurance services; services for tax-deferred exchanges; and digital customer engagement platform services.