Cooke & Bieler LP Raises Holdings in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC

Cooke & Bieler LP increased its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 563,003 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,484 shares during the quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in Stewart Information Services were worth $39,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Stewart Information Services during the third quarter worth $31,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in Stewart Information Services by 50.9% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 981 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $143,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stewart Information Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $80.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Stewart Information Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO David C. Hisey sold 10,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.28, for a total transaction of $783,509.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,414,299.12. This represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Allen Bradley, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of Stewart Information Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $65.34 per share, for a total transaction of $65,340.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 21,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,388,017.62. The trade was a 4.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Price Performance

STC stock opened at $67.71 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $65.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.60. The company has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 1.02. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 12-month low of $56.39 and a 12-month high of $78.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.26. Stewart Information Services had a net margin of 4.19% and a return on equity of 10.07%. The business had revenue of $778.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $730.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Stewart Information Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Stewart Information Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.88%.

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.