Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Stock Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Stifel Financial shares moved above their 50-day moving average, reaching $73.35 and last trading at $72.96; the 50-day average was $72.69, while the 200-day average was $76.03.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: five analysts rate the stock Buy, three Hold and one Sell, resulting in an average Hold rating and an average price target of $85.71.
• Quarterly EPS of $1.46 beat estimates of $1.44, but revenue of $1.43 billion fell short of forecasts and was down 0.2% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, a 1.9% yield.

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.69 and traded as high as $73.35. Stifel Financial shares last traded at $72.9570, with a volume of 2,577,071 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group set a $83.00 price objective on Stifel Financial and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Citigroup reissued a "market outperform" rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $84.00 to $78.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Stifel Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.71.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 6.3%

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $72.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.03. The company has a market cap of $11.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.02. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 16.50% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.95 earnings per share. Stifel Financial's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 49.8% during the 1st quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd now owns 481 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 26,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,858,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 1.3% in the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 14,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 92.8% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 7.4% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company's stock.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp. is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its principal operating subsidiaries, including Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company provides wealth management, investment banking, securities brokerage and related financial services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities and institutional clients.

Its wealth management business offers investment advice, brokerage services, financial planning, banking and lending solutions, and access to a range of investment products.

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