Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Short Interest Update

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,114,627 shares, a growth of 37.0% from the January 29th total of 2,274,193 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,344,977 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,344,977 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $99.33 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Stifel Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $88.67 to $90.67 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $100.00 price objective on Stifel Financial and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.13.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 0.4%

Stifel Financial stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.02. 424,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,584,333. Stifel Financial has a 12-month low of $48.85 and a 12-month high of $89.83. The business has a fifty day moving average of $83.25 and a 200 day moving average of $80.04. The firm has a market cap of $11.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 34.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total transaction of $49,724.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,315.52. The trade was a 28.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.57% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,533 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Stifel Financial by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in Stifel Financial by 8.6% in the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 23,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,936,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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.