Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $127.40.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Stifel Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Cowen raised Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price target on Stifel Financial from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $128.36 on Monday. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $73.27 and a 1 year high of $133.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day moving average is $123.17 and its 200-day moving average is $115.46. The company has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.68 and a beta of 1.13.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 12.44%.The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 258,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,343,000 after buying an additional 14,923 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,539,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 123.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 75.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 4,677 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 2,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $7,371,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full‐service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research‐driven insights.

The firm’s main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.