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

Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.17.

SF has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Stifel Financial from $113.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SF opened at $115.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.94 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $104.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stifel Financial has a 12 month low of $60.45 and a 12 month high of $119.12.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Stifel Financial’s revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total value of $2,904,500.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 159,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,544,535.42. The trade was a 13.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SF. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 1,818.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial during the third quarter worth $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 388.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

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.