28,600 Shares in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Acquired by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 28,600 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,978,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 58,283 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,957,000 after buying an additional 10,500 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 118.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 81,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,808,000 after acquiring an additional 44,219 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 57,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,985,000 after purchasing an additional 4,405 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 165,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth $550,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company's stock.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE SF traded up $0.48 on Thursday, reaching $74.89. The company had a trading volume of 412,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 539,188. The company's fifty day moving average is $75.79 and its 200-day moving average is $68.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.82. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 1-year low of $54.81 and a 1-year high of $78.33.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 11.60%. Stifel Financial's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. This is an increase from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Stifel Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Stifel Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $1,887,763.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 90,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,687,484.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total transaction of $2,713,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 54,732 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $1,887,763.46. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 90,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,687,484.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.52% of the company's stock.

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.