Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP) Stock Price

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada raised its StepStone Group price target to $68 from $65 and maintained an Outperform rating, implying 41.3% upside from the prior close.
• StepStone beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.66 versus $0.55 expected and revenue of $362.71 million versus $324.84 million expected.
• Shares rose 12.4% on Friday to $48.12. Analysts’ consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $66.78.

StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $65.00 to $68.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 41.30% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on STEP. Barclays increased their target price on StepStone Group from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered StepStone Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of StepStone Group in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of StepStone Group in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of StepStone Group in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.78.

StepStone Group Stock Up 12.4%

Shares of STEP traded up $5.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.12. The company had a trading volume of 911,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,777. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.03. StepStone Group has a 52 week low of $38.85 and a 52 week high of $77.79. The company has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.21 and a beta of 1.28.

StepStone Group (NASDAQ:STEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $362.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.84 million. StepStone Group had a positive return on equity of 43.38% and a negative net margin of 30.53%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that StepStone Group will post 2.51 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On StepStone Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of STEP. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in StepStone Group in the first quarter valued at about $3,898,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in StepStone Group by 11.8% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 314,523 shares of the company's stock worth $13,009,000 after purchasing an additional 33,210 shares during the last quarter. Advent International L.P. bought a new stake in shares of StepStone Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $5,733,000. Engle Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of StepStone Group by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Engle Capital Management L.P. now owns 237,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,320,000 after purchasing an additional 107,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of StepStone Group by 95.6% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 332,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,859,000 after purchasing an additional 162,467 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.54% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting StepStone Group

Here are the key news stories impacting StepStone Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat estimates. StepStone reported fiscal Q2 2027 adjusted EPS of $0.66, above consensus estimates of roughly $0.55–$0.57 and up from $0.54 a year earlier. Revenue of $362.71 million also exceeded the $324.84 million estimate, supporting the stock’s advance. StepStone Q2 earnings and revenue top estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $65 from $62 and reiterated an Overweight rating. The higher target signals continued analyst confidence in the shares. Barclays stock recommendations
• Positive Sentiment: StepStone declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share. The annualized payout is $1.32 per share; investors of record November 30 are scheduled to be paid December 15.

About StepStone Group

StepStone Group, Inc is a global investment firm focused on private markets. The company provides investment solutions and advisory services to institutional investors, family offices, and other clients seeking exposure to privately held and alternative assets.

Its activities include investments in private equity, venture capital, private debt, infrastructure, and real estate. StepStone builds customized portfolios through primary investments in funds, secondary-market transactions, and direct investments in companies and assets.

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