Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Stifel Financial a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating (10 analysts: 6 buy, 4 hold) with an average 1-year target of about $92.37.
• The company recently beat quarterly estimates—EPS $2.63 vs. $2.48 expected and revenue $1.56B vs. $1.50B expected—with revenue up 14.4% year-over-year and analysts projecting about 8.26 EPS for the year.
• Stifel raised its quarterly dividend to $0.51 (from $0.46), implying a $2.04 annualized payout and a yield of roughly 2.8% with a payout ratio near 35%.

Shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $92.3704.

SF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $93.33 to $103.33 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $92.00 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $99.33 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF opened at $73.46 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $76.42 and a 200-day moving average of $79.39. The company has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74 and a beta of 1.10. Stifel Financial has a 1-year low of $49.77 and a 1-year high of $89.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The company's revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.49 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.51 dividend. This is a boost from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.69%.

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SF. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 12,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 242 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 2,383.3% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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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