Stifel Financial NYSE: SF reported what executives described as the strongest first half in the company’s history, with second-quarter revenue and earnings rising from a year earlier as wealth management, investment banking and net interest income all contributed to growth.
Chairman and CEO Ron Kruszewski said the firm is delivering on the plan it outlined at the start of 2026: growing revenue, expanding its loan book, increasing treasury deposits, improving operating leverage and deploying excess capital. “Six months into the year, we’re doing what we said we would do,” Kruszewski said on the company’s earnings call.
Second-quarter net revenue totaled $1.45 billion, up 13% from a year earlier. Non-GAAP earnings per share were $1.42, up 25%. Kruszewski said both metrics represented the company’s second-highest second-quarter results ever. For the first half, Stifel generated record net revenue of $2.9 billion, up 15% from its prior record, and earnings per share of $2.87, up 28% from its prior record. Return on tangible common equity was approximately 24% for both the quarter and the first half, while tangible book value per share increased 15% from the prior year.
Wealth Management Revenue Hits Record
Chief Financial Officer Jim Marischen said Global Wealth Management generated record net revenue of $957 million, up 13% year over year. Results were driven by transactional revenue, growth in net interest income and higher asset management revenue.
Total client assets stood at $580 billion, while fee-based assets were $240 billion, up 12% and 16%, respectively, as Stifel benefited from stronger equity markets and net new asset growth. Excluding the impact of assets associated with the sale of SIA, total client assets and fee-based assets increased more than 14% and 19%, respectively, Marischen said.
Stifel also continued to grow its balance sheet, increasing its loan book by $2.6 billion during the quarter. Marischen said that included an incremental $2 billion in fund banking loans. The company remains on pace to meet its full-year guidance of up to $4 billion of loan growth.
Based on loan growth and a stable net interest margin, Marischen said Stifel expects third-quarter net interest income in the range of $290 million to $300 million. Over the past year, combined wealth management and treasury deposits increased by approximately $3.3 billion, including a more than $1 billion increase in sweep deposits and a $3.8 billion increase in treasury deposits, partially offset by a decline in Stifel Smart Rate balances.
Investment Banking Drives Institutional Growth
Stifel’s Institutional Group posted revenue of $481 million, up 15% from a year earlier and the segment’s second-strongest second quarter in company history. First-half institutional revenue rose 21%, driven by a more than 43% increase in investment banking revenue.
Firmwide investment banking revenue totaled $332 million in the second quarter, up 42% year over year. Advisory revenue increased 24% to $157 million, with strength in financials, industrials and technology. Capital raising revenue rose 121% to $102 million, supported by issuer engagement in healthcare, industrials, energy and financials. Fixed income underwriting revenue increased 18% to $64 million, driven by public finance activity and higher corporate issuance.
Marischen said Stifel remains the No. 1 negotiated issue manager in public finance by deal count, with a 14% market share year to date. He said investment banking and advisory pipelines remain “very strong,” with active strategic dialogue and a reopened new issue market. Financial sponsor activity remains below historical levels, which executives said could provide upside if it recovers.
Transactional revenue declined 19% year over year, primarily due to lower fixed income revenue. Marischen noted that the prior-year period benefited from a roughly $30 million gain in the company’s aircraft business. Excluding that gain, results would have been relatively comparable to a year ago. Equity transactional revenue fell 4%, reflecting the impact of Stifel’s European restructuring.
Expenses, Capital Deployment and Buybacks
Stifel continued to emphasize expense discipline. Marischen said the company lowered its compensation ratio to 57%, down 50 basis points sequentially from the first quarter and below consensus expectations. He attributed the improvement to the strong operating environment, the European reorganization and the sale of SIA. Assuming market conditions hold up, he said Stifel expects additional compensation flexibility in the second half and could land in the midpoint to lower half of its full-year compensation ratio guidance range of 56.5% to 57.5%.
Non-compensation expenses totaled $309 million, up 11% year over year, with the increase tied largely to business growth, including higher investment banking gross-ups, credit provisions, advertising and data processing. The operating non-compensation ratio was 19.6%, within the company’s full-year guidance range of 18% to 20%.
Stifel also deployed capital through business reinvestment, share repurchases and dividends. Kruszewski said those actions totaled more than $500 million in the second quarter. The company repurchased 2.4 million shares during the quarter and had 7.8 million shares remaining under its current authorization at quarter-end.
Marischen said Stifel ended the quarter with a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 11.2% and a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 17.3%, reflecting deliberate capital deployment into loan growth. Based on a 10% Tier 1 leverage target, the company had nearly $480 million of excess capital after funding loan growth and repurchases.
AI Viewed as Productivity Tool, Not Replacement
Kruszewski spent part of the call addressing artificial intelligence, saying he does not view AI as a replacement for financial advisors or other professionals. Instead, he described it as a productivity accelerator that can help bankers evaluate more opportunities, research analysts uncover more insights and advisors spend more time with clients.
“Markets sometimes confuse access to information with judgment,” Kruszewski said. “AI is making information more abundant. That only increases the value of judgment, trust, and relationships.”
He said advisor recruiting remains highly competitive despite market concerns that AI could diminish the value of financial advice. Stifel was ranked No. 1 in employee advisor satisfaction by J.D. Power for the fourth consecutive year, a recognition Kruszewski said reflected the firm’s focus on supporting advisors.
Executives Point to Constructive Second Half
Looking ahead, Kruszewski said the broader market remains constructive, though volatility and geopolitical uncertainty remain risks. He said the economy is healthy, client dialogue is high and capital markets activity continues to broaden.
In response to analyst questions, Kruszewski said he remains optimistic about investment banking momentum across Stifel’s diversified platform, including healthcare, industrials, technology and energy. He added that bank M&A activity remains muted relative to longer-term expectations, but active dialogue continues.
On acquisitions, Kruszewski said Stifel remains disciplined and evaluates opportunities based on return on invested capital. Given current valuations in financial services, he said one of the most attractive uses of capital remains investing in Stifel’s own business and repurchasing shares when management sees a disconnect between the company’s outlook and its stock price.
“We’re building a stronger, more valuable Stifel,” Kruszewski said. “While we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in the first half of the year, we’re even more excited about where we’re headed.”
About Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF)
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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