Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Upgraded to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on SF. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.15.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of SF opened at $72.46 on Wednesday. Stifel Financial has a 52-week low of $60.62 and a 52-week high of $89.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 1.05.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 15.34%.The company had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 6.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 12,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 49.8% in the first quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd now owns 481 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

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.