Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Stock Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) shares passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $72.69 and traded as high as $73.35. Stifel Financial shares last traded at $72.9570, with a volume of 2,577,071 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SF shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Zacks Research lowered Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $85.71.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 6.3%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $72.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.03. The firm has a market cap of $11.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 19.38% and a net margin of 16.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.95 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 6.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is currently 23.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 26,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,858,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 14,319 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 92.8% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 7.4% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

Stifel Financial Corp. is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its principal operating subsidiaries, including Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company provides wealth management, investment banking, securities brokerage and related financial services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities and institutional clients.

Its wealth management business offers investment advice, brokerage services, financial planning, banking and lending solutions, and access to a range of investment products.