Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Stock Rating Upgraded by Citigroup

Key Points

• Stifel Financial was upgraded by Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating, with a price target of $135.00, suggesting an 18.12% potential upside from its previous close.
• Despite the upgrade from Citigroup, some analysts have cut their price targets, with JPMorgan reducing it from $123.00 to $100.00, indicating mixed sentiments on the stock's performance.
• Stifel Financial's recent financial results showed a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.4%, with an EPS of $1.71 exceeding estimates, reflecting a solid quarterly performance.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $135.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior price target of $115.00. Citigroup's target price suggests a potential upside of 20.50% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Stifel Financial from $124.00 to $84.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $115.78.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF stock traded up $0.86 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $112.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 264,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 802,063. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $103.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.81. Stifel Financial has a 12 month low of $73.27 and a 12 month high of $120.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total value of $966,900.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 45,833 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,592.77. This trade represents a 17.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 123.6% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 331 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Stifel Financial by 67.7% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company's stock.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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.