Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Sets New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $101.00 to $108.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Stifel Financial traded as high as $96.89 and last traded at $96.47, with a volume of 37831 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $95.02.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com lowered Stifel Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Stifel Financial from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Stifel Financial currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 1,818.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 27.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 388.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $87.49 and a 200-day moving average of $83.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Stifel Financial's payout ratio is currently 38.18%.

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.