Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Takes $676,000 Position in Stifel Financial Corporation $SF

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC has acquired a new stake in Stifel Financial, purchasing 7,171 shares valued at approximately $676,000.
• Several hedge funds, including NBC Securities Inc. and Alpine Bank Wealth Management, have also established or increased their positions in Stifel Financial during the first quarter.
• Equity analysts have recently shown optimism, with multiple upgrades to Stifel Financial's stock rating, raising price targets up to $135.00.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 7,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $676,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 67.7% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 123.6% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 331 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 53.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 491 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF traded down $3.02 on Friday, reaching $112.69. The stock had a trading volume of 736,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 634,944. Stifel Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $73.27 and a fifty-two week high of $120.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $111.59 and a 200-day moving average of $99.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84 and a beta of 1.13.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.90%.The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SF shares. JMP Securities raised their target price on Stifel Financial from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $135.00 target price on Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Stifel Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Citigroup upgraded Stifel Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $135.00 in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Stifel Financial from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Stifel Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.78.

Stifel Financial 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.