EAM Investors LLC Takes Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

EAM Investors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 43,759 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,642,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,397 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,086,000 after buying an additional 41,171 shares in the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,759,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 18,584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,971,000 after purchasing an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $849,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Stifel Financial from $135.00 to $106.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $124.00 to $84.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.71.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SF traded down $3.03 during trading on Monday, hitting $82.10. 172,196 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 665,110. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $95.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.37. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $73.27 and a 52-week high of $120.64. The company has a market cap of $8.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. This is an increase from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.49%.

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.