Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $91.75.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SF shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 price target (down from $89.00) on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Stifel Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 94.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,893,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $362,368,000 after buying an additional 1,408,347 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter worth $172,446,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Stifel Financial by 51.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,616,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $193,403,000 after acquiring an additional 890,810 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Stifel Financial by 58.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,875,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $138,637,000 after acquiring an additional 693,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Stifel Financial by 50.9% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,284,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,883,000 after acquiring an additional 433,341 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $78.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Stifel Financial has a one year low of $67.81 and a one year high of $89.83. The company has a market cap of $12.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.01.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 15.34% and a return on equity of 18.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial will post 6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 26.46%.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full‐service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research‐driven insights.

The firm’s main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.