Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Stifel Financial Corporation has been rated as a "Moderate Buy" by twelve brokerages, with six recommending a buy and six holding the stock.
• The average 12-month price target for Stifel Financial's stock among analysts is $122.60, indicating potential for growth.
• The company recently reported a quarterly earnings beat with earnings per share of $1.71, surpassing estimates of $1.65.

Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $122.60.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SF shares. Zacks Research downgraded Stifel Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities increased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Stifel Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 3rd.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of Stifel Financial stock opened at $111.04 on Wednesday. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $73.27 and a 1 year high of $120.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $113.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.54. The company has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.52 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 13.93% and a net margin of 11.90%.Stifel Financial's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of New Hampshire grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 9,639 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 1.3% in the second quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,837 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 2.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 4.2% in the first quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 2,907 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 3.0% in the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 4,328 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Stifel Financial

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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