Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Shares Acquired by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) by 31.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,584 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $1,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Stifel Financial by 27.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Stifel Financial by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 36.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 870 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 148.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE SF traded up $2.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $113.87. 746,515 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 541,979. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $11.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $97.65. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $68.40 and a 52-week high of $119.12.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.10). Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 14.92% and a net margin of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 6.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total value of $2,904,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 159,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,544,535.42. This represents a 13.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 4.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Stifel Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price 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 price target on Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.14.

About Stifel Financial

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.