FORA Capital LLC Boosts Stock Position in Stifel Financial Corporation $SF

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC increased its stake in Stifel Financial Corporation by 102.2%, owning 12,818 shares worth $1,208,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• Stifel Financial recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.6%, with the payment date set for September 16th.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Stifel Financial, with Stifel Nicolaus targeting $135 and Citigroup upgrading their target to $135, reflecting positive market sentiment.

FORA Capital LLC grew its stake in Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Free Report) by 102.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,479 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $1,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $966,900.00. Following the sale, the director owned 45,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,431,592.77. This represents a 17.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders acquired a total of 7 shares of company stock worth $781 over the last 90 days. 3.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:SF opened at $116.51 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock's fifty day moving average is $109.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.86. Stifel Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $73.27 and a 52 week high of $120.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58 and a beta of 1.11.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 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 company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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