Wall Street Zen Upgrades Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) to Hold

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.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday morning.

SF has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $115.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stifel Financial has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $115.78.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of SF stock traded down $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $111.65. 123,903 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 801,968. The business's fifty day moving average is $103.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 1.11. Stifel Financial has a 12-month low of $73.27 and a 12-month high of $120.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.90% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Stifel Financial news, Director Michael J. Zimmerman sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 45,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,431,592.77. This trade represents a 17.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised 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 in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 123.6% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 331 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 67.7% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.