Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.15 EPS

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.15, FiscalAI reports. The company 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 15.80% and a net margin of 12.37%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.23 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Stifel Financial’s conference call:

• Stifel reported a record 2025 with $5.5 billion in firm?wide revenue (up 11%), EPS of $7.92 (ex?Q1 legal accrual), and strong margins/ROTE, underscoring operating leverage and franchise resilience.
• Global Wealth Management remained the growth engine with record quarterly revenue, $552 billion in client assets, fee?based assets up, and 181 advisor additions (92 experienced), with recruiting momentum entering 2026.
• Institutional/investment banking delivered strong results—2025 institutional revenue ~$1.9 billion, Q4 investment banking $456 million (up 50%), and KBW participated in ~75% of depository M&A by volume, supporting a robust deal pipeline.
• Board and capital actions are shareholder?friendly: an 11% dividend increase, a 3?for?2 stock split, ongoing buybacks (335k shares repurchased in Q4) and 2026 guidance of $6.0–$6.35 billion revenue with NII of $1.1–$1.2 billion and targeted expense ratios to drive further operating leverage.
• Management is exiting the Stifel Independent Advisors channel and restructuring European equities (removing ~$100 million of prior annual revenue) to improve margins and operating leverage, which may pressure top?line comparability in the near term but should reduce costs going forward.

Stifel Financial Trading Down 1.4%

Stifel Financial stock traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $122.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 269,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 825,405. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Stifel Financial has a 12 month low of $73.27 and a 12 month high of $134.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $126.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.55. The stock has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.98 and a beta of 1.13.

Stifel Financial’s stock is scheduled to split on the morning of Friday, February 27th. The 3-2 split was announced on Tuesday, January 27th. The newly issued shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, February 26th.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders 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 is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $149.00 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Stifel Financial in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $121.00 target price on the stock. Citizens Jmp boosted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Stifel Financial from $133.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.18.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SF. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $523,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 4.3% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 26,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,984,000 after buying an additional 1,088 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 256.1% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $968,000 after acquiring an additional 6,133 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.