Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Short Interest Up 56.4% in February

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,870,686 shares, an increase of 56.4% from the February 12th total of 3,114,627 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,834,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,834,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on SF shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $92.00 target price on Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $99.33 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group set a $100.00 price objective on Stifel Financial and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.13.

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

In other news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total transaction of $49,724.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,315.52. This represents a 28.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 12,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in Stifel Financial by 2,383.3% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:SF traded down $0.56 on Friday, hitting $70.26. 1,122,943 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,522,068. Stifel Financial has a 1-year low of $48.85 and a 1-year high of $89.83. The company has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.92 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. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.31 and its 200 day moving average is $79.86.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 15.53% and a net margin of 12.37%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 34.69%.

About Stifel Financial

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.