Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Friday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $80.80 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Stifel Financial has a 12-month low of $54.81 and a 12-month high of $80.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36 and a beta of 1.18.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.13). Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.34% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. Stifel Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In related news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total value of $2,713,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 54,732 shares in the company, valued at $4,125,150.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $1,887,763.46. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 90,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,687,484.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total value of $2,713,320.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 54,732 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,125,150.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Stifel Financial by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 39.3% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 336.2% during the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 759 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stifel Financial

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.