Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Raymond James (NYSE:RJF)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 25,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,478 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Raymond James were worth $3,888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in Raymond James by 121.0% during the fourth quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in Raymond James by 1,142.1% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Raymond James during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Raymond James during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in Raymond James by 80.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on RJF. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Raymond James from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Raymond James from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Raymond James from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Raymond James from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Raymond James from $168.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.55.

Raymond James Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:RJF opened at $141.18 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $158.85 and a 200 day moving average of $148.32. Raymond James has a 52 week low of $104.24 and a 52 week high of $174.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.04.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.31. Raymond James had a net margin of 14.06% and a return on equity of 19.71%. On average, research analysts predict that Raymond James will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Raymond James Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Raymond James’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Raymond James

In other news, insider Tashtego S. Elwyn sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.47, for a total value of $1,594,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 32,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,212,755.36. This represents a 23.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Profile

Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments.