Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Upgraded by Citigroup to Buy Rating

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 investment analysts at Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $135.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. Citigroup's price target indicates a potential upside of 18.12% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $124.00 to $84.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Stifel Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Stifel Financial from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.38.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 3.8%

Stifel Financial stock opened at $114.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85 and a beta of 1.09. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $73.27 and a 1 year high of $120.64. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $102.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.78.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.26% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. Stifel Financial's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,431,592.77. This represents a 17.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 67.7% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 123.6% during the 1st 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, Bessemer Group Inc. grew 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is 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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