Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $157.64.

Several analysts recently issued reports on RJF shares. StockNews.com lowered Raymond James from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Raymond James from $176.00 to $143.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Raymond James from $149.00 to $143.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Raymond James in a research report on Thursday.

Raymond James Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:RJF opened at $137.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $140.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market cap of $28.18 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.94. Raymond James has a fifty-two week low of $104.24 and a fifty-two week high of $174.32.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Raymond James had a net margin of 14.06% and a return on equity of 19.71%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.31 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Raymond James will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Raymond James Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Raymond James

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in RJF. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 33.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 847,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $103,738,000 after buying an additional 212,697 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Raymond James during the 3rd quarter valued at $308,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in Raymond James by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 2,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Raymond James by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of Raymond James by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 67,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.83% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Company Profile

Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments.