Walleye Capital LLC Acquires 197,598 Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Walleye Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) by 477.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 238,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 197,598 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC owned about 0.23% of Stifel Financial worth $25,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,448,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,628,832 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $915,346,000 after purchasing an additional 672,420 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,588,964 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $274,637,000 after purchasing an additional 630,255 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,207,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $128,088,000 after purchasing an additional 186,352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter worth $162,000. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:SF traded up $1.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $85.13. 1,029,933 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 667,162. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $73.27 and a 52-week high of $120.64. The business's fifty day moving average is $96.18 and its 200-day moving average is $104.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial's payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SF shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Stifel Financial from $135.00 to $106.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $123.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Stifel Financial from $124.00 to $84.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.71.

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.