Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $117.71.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SF shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th.

Stifel Financial Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $93.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $73.51 and a 1 year high of $120.64. The company has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $105.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.97.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. Sell-side analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 29.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Stifel Financial by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.