Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR) Trading Down 5.5% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Piper Sandler shares fell about 5.5% to $82.38 on Friday (intraday low $80.65) on light trading of ~203,182 shares, roughly 70% below average, leaving the stock near its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages.
• The company reported a strong quarter — EPS $6.88 vs. $4.72 and revenue $635M (+27.4% YoY) — but analysts remain mixed, with a consensus rating of Hold and a $95.06 target.
• Insider activity included President Debbra L. Schoneman selling 20,960 shares (a ~64% reduction in her position); insiders now own about 3.10% of the stock.

Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR - Get Free Report) shares were down 5.5% on Friday . The company traded as low as $80.65 and last traded at $82.38. Approximately 203,182 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 681,368 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PIPR shares. Bank of America started coverage on Piper Sandler Companies in a research note on Monday, January 26th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $96.25 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered Piper Sandler Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Northland Securities upgraded Piper Sandler Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $87.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $99.50 price objective on shares of Piper Sandler Companies in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Piper Sandler Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $95.06.

Piper Sandler Companies Trading Down 8.5%

The company has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.48. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $79.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.40.

Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $6.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.72 by $2.16. Piper Sandler Companies had a net margin of 14.77% and a return on equity of 21.85%. The company had revenue of $635.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $516.52 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. The company's revenue was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Piper Sandler Companies will post 4.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Piper Sandler Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Piper Sandler Companies's payout ratio is presently 17.72%.

Insider Activity at Piper Sandler Companies

In related news, President Debbra L. Schoneman sold 20,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.75, for a total value of $1,839,187.60. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 11,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,016,467.04. The trade was a 64.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Piper Sandler Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Piper Sandler Companies by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of Piper Sandler Companies by 1,440.0% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 77 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Piper Sandler Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Piper Sandler Companies by 55.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 90 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Piper Sandler Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 72.79% of the company's stock.

Piper Sandler Companies Company Profile

Piper Sandler Companies NYSE: PIPR is an investment bank and institutional securities firm that provides a range of capital markets and advisory services to corporations, institutions, municipalities and high-net-worth individuals. The firm’s core activities include investment banking and M&A advisory, underwriting and distribution of equity and debt securities, public finance, and sector-focused advisory across industries such as healthcare, energy, financial services and technology.

In addition to traditional investment banking, Piper Sandler offers equity and fixed income research, institutional sales and trading, and market-making services.

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