Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Receives $117.71 Average Target Price from Analysts

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $117.71.

SF has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $98.42 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $109.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $72.78 and a 1 year high of $120.64.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. As a group, research analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. 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.