GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stock Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) by 47,124.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 425,018 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 424,118 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.41% of Stifel Financial worth $40,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Stifel Financial by 123.6% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 331 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Stifel Financial by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SF traded up $1.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $96.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 504,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 677,874. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 12-month low of $73.27 and a 12-month high of $120.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $89.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($1.15). Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. Stifel Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total value of $966,900.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 45,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,592.77. This trade represents a 17.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Stifel Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Stifel Financial from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.50.

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.