Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Upgraded to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Stifel Financial was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" to a "hold" rating, while the average consensus rating remains "hold" with a price target of $115.78.
• Several other research firms issued mixed reviews, with Citigroup upgrading it to "buy" and raising the price target from $115.00 to $135.00, despite TD Cowen reducing their price target from $124.00 to $84.00.
• In the latest quarterly earnings, Stifel reported earnings of $1.71 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.4% compared to $1.28 billion.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on SF. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $124.00 to $84.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $135.00 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $115.00 to $135.00 in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $115.78.

Stifel Financial Trading Down 2.7%

SF opened at $111.04 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $103.15 and a 200-day moving average of $99.90. Stifel Financial has a twelve month low of $73.27 and a twelve month high of $120.64.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.25 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.90% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $966,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,592.77. The trade was a 17.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SF. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 67.7% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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