Norges Bank Takes Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Norges Bank bought a new position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,295,699 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $137,448,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.27% of Stifel Financial at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 54,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,138,000 after purchasing an additional 3,112 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 28.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,968 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $936,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $356,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 278,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,137,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 31,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,943,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF stock traded down $10.50 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $86.01. The company had a trading volume of 1,406,617 shares, compared to its average volume of 784,336. The company has a market capitalization of $8.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $104.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 12-month low of $73.51 and a 12-month high of $120.64.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 14.00%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on SF. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Stifel Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $117.86.

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.