Nicholas Company Inc. Sells 11,102 Shares of Raymond James (NYSE:RJF)

Nicholas Company Inc. lowered its position in Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,102 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc. owned 0.08% of Raymond James worth $26,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Raymond James by 43.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 453 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Raymond James in the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,701,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Raymond James by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 568,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,940,000 after purchasing an additional 9,217 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Raymond James in the 4th quarter worth approximately $511,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Raymond James in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,561,000. Institutional investors own 83.83% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:RJF opened at $142.64 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $158.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Raymond James has a one year low of $104.24 and a one year high of $174.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.04.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts forecast that Raymond James will post 11.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Raymond James Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Raymond James’s payout ratio is 19.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on RJF shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Raymond James from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Raymond James from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $161.00 to $185.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Raymond James from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.55.

Raymond James Company 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.