StockNews.com Lowers Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) to Buy

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Stifel Financial Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of SF stock traded down $0.20 on Thursday, reaching $82.94. 669,862 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 563,776. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.77. Stifel Financial has a 52 week low of $54.81 and a 52 week high of $83.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

In related news, Director David A. Peacock sold 13,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.90, for a total transaction of $1,038,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,489,815.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $1,887,763.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 90,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,687,484.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David A. Peacock sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.90, for a total value of $1,038,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,646 shares in the company, valued at $1,489,815.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 74,421 shares of company stock valued at $5,639,783 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial in the first quarter valued at $32,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in 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 position in shares of Stifel Financial by 336.2% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

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.