Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $121.70 and last traded at $121.4440, with a volume of 325112 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $120.07.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SF. Cowen raised Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $131.00 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.90.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 1.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $12.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.27 and its 200-day moving average is $106.66.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.44% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 32.51%.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SF. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $361,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 26.1% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,374 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 3.0% during the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 4,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.4% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 67.7% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.