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

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from 10 analysts (6 buy, 3 hold, 1 sell) with an average 1‑year price target of $91.15.
• Stifel topped EPS estimates this quarter, reporting $1.45 EPS vs. $1.39 expected and revenue up 17.7% year‑over‑year to $1.44 billion, though revenue slightly missed the $1.51 billion estimate.
• About 82% of the stock is institutionally owned, with large recent buys by AQR and Norges Bank, while insiders have modestly trimmed positions (one disclosed sale of 600 shares).

Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $91.1481.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SF shares. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $99.33 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on Stifel Financial from $93.33 to $103.33 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Stifel Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SF opened at $77.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 1.05. Stifel Financial has a 1-year low of $58.24 and a 1-year high of $89.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 15.34% and a return on equity of 18.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Stifel Financial news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total transaction of $49,724.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $123,315.52. This trade represents a 28.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.28% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 94.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,893,850 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $362,368,000 after buying an additional 1,408,347 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $172,446,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,126,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Stifel Financial by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,284,806 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $160,883,000 after buying an additional 433,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,451,787 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $391,674,000 after acquiring an additional 419,038 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full‐service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research‐driven insights.

The firm's main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.

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