StockNews.com Upgrades Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) to "Buy"

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SF. JMP Securities increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $117.71.

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Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of Stifel Financial stock traded down $1.98 during trading on Thursday, hitting $96.45. 979,971 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 586,385. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $109.00 and its 200-day moving average is $103.99. Stifel Financial has a 52 week low of $72.78 and a 52 week high of $120.64.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 EPS 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%. Research analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. This is a boost from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SF. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 148.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 53,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,443,000 after purchasing an additional 15,365 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,032 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $447,000. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 271,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company's stock.

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.