78,018 Shares in Stewart Information Services Corporation $STC Purchased by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Stewart Information Services Corporation (NYSE:STC) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 78,018 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,151,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Stewart Information Services in the second quarter worth $347,274,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $143,665,000 after acquiring an additional 90,233 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 10.2% during 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 holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 701,148 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,263,000 after purchasing an additional 302,623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Stewart Information Services by 0.3% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 96.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brian Glaze sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.16, for a total value of $103,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,784 shares in the company, valued at $814,981.44. This represents a 11.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.94% of the company’s stock.

Stewart Information Services Stock Up 2.6%

NYSE STC opened at $69.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.97. Stewart Information Services Corporation has a 12 month low of $57.10 and a 12 month high of $78.61. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.82.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last announced 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 company had revenue of $895.80 million for 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%. Stewart Information Services’s revenue was up 24.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Stewart Information Services Corporation will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stewart Information Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.55 dividend. This is a boost from Stewart Information Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Stewart Information Services’s payout ratio is currently 46.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Stewart Information Services 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.