Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $105.57.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on SF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $107.28 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40 and a beta of 1.08. Stifel Financial has a 52-week low of $67.61 and a 52-week high of $119.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.60 by ($0.10). Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.92%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 6.5 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 30.38%.

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

In related news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total transaction of $2,904,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 159,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,544,535.42. This represents a 13.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 148.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

Stifel Financial Corp., a financial services and bank holding company, provides retail and institutional wealth management, and investment banking services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other.