Victory Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Stewart Information Services Co. (NYSE:STC) by 15.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 834,958 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 150,715 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $56,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 310.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 452 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,546 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 572 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $182,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in shares of Stewart Information Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

STC stock opened at $68.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42 and a beta of 1.19. Stewart Information Services Co. has a 12-month low of $58.23 and a 12-month high of $78.44. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.24.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.94%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Stewart Information Services Co. will post 6.29 EPS for the current year.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Stewart Information Services from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Stewart Information Services Company Profile

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.