Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stake in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF - Free Report) by 35.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,889 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,118 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.07% of Stifel Financial worth $7,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 78.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 900 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,080 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 3.1 %

SF stock traded down $3.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $103.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 822,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 728,567. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 1.11. 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 52-week low of $72.78 and a 52-week high of $120.64.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities 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 will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SF has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.71.

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.