Stephens Upgrades Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) to “Overweight”

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) was upgraded by equities researchers at Stephens from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $82.00 price target on the insurance provider’s stock. Stephens’ price objective points to a potential upside of 15.29% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Stewart Information Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of Stewart Information Services in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Stewart Information Services from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $81.33.

Stewart Information Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STC opened at $71.13 on Friday. Stewart Information Services has a 1 year low of $56.39 and a 1 year high of $78.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.28.

Stewart Information Services (NYSE:STC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.30. Stewart Information Services had a return on equity of 9.32% and a net margin of 3.95%.The firm had revenue of $794.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $774.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Stewart Information Services will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stewart Information Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 207.3% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 22,679 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,476,000 after buying an additional 15,299 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Stewart Information Services by 8.9% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 118,127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,690,000 after purchasing an additional 9,622 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in shares of Stewart Information Services by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 551,519 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,437,000 after buying an additional 103,777 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Stewart Information Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,389,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Stewart Information Services by 25.0% in the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 84,076 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,473,000 after acquiring an additional 16,821 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.90% of the company’s stock.

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.