Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $126.52 and last traded at $126.2150, with a volume of 80100 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $124.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $118.00 to $131.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group set a $135.00 price objective on Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $121.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.90.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 1.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $12.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $116.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.49.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 14.95%. The company’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 32.51%.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,386,000. OLD National Bancorp IN purchased a new position in Stifel Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $243,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $606,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 93.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 28,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,690,000 after purchasing an additional 13,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 82.1% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 15,986 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 7,209 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.