Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Sets New 52-Week High at $80.64

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $80.64 and last traded at $80.29, with a volume of 117171 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com raised Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.50.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 1.9 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $75.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.49. The stock has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.13). Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 12.39% and a net margin of 11.34%. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.18%.

Insider Transactions at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total value of $2,713,320.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 54,732 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $1,887,763.46. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 90,055 shares in the company, valued at $6,687,484.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total transaction of $2,713,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 54,732 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SF. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 274.2% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 147,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,537,000 after buying an additional 108,147 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 29,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,298,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 1st quarter worth $4,591,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 25,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,961,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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.