Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on SF. JMP Securities reissued a market outperform rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Monday, March 13th. UBS Group began coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, November 22nd. They issued a neutral rating for the company.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE SF opened at $54.85 on Thursday. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $49.31 and a 1 year high of $72.61. The firm has a market cap of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.87.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 15.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 earnings per share.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st were paid a $0.36 dividend. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 28th. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 27.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In related news, CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $55.00 per share, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,377,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,752,930. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Stifel Financial news, CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski acquired 2,500 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $55.00 per share, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,377,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,752,930. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski acquired 10,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.00 per share, with a total value of $590,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,374,826 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,114,734. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Laffer Tengler Investments acquired a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Stifel Financial by 321.8% during the 4th quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the period. Advanced Research Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $73,000. 83.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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Stifel Financial Corp. provides securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services. It operates through the following segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other. The Global Wealth Management segment provides securities transaction, brokerage, and investment services to clients.