Van ECK Associates Corp Has $1.78 Million Stock Holdings in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 32.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,306 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $1,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SF. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Stifel Financial by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $139,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David A. Peacock sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.90, for a total value of $1,038,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,489,815.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 54,732 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David A. Peacock sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.90, for a total transaction of $1,038,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,489,815.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 74,421 shares of company stock worth $5,639,783 over the last three months. 3.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Stifel Financial stock opened at $83.15 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90 and a beta of 1.14. 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 Corp. has a one year low of $54.81 and a one year high of $83.78.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SF shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.50.

About Stifel Financial

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.