Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Given New $135.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $128.00 to $135.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. TD Cowen increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. JMP Securities raised their target price 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, October 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Stifel Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $117.33.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SF traded down $1.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $115.81. 1,049,256 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 747,333. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 1.11. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $110.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.78. Stifel Financial has a 1-year low of $71.36 and a 1-year high of $120.64.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 7.87 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. This is an increase from Stifel Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Stifel Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total transaction of $2,904,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 159,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,544,535.42. This trade represents a 13.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.57% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the third quarter valued at $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 27.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 46.5% during 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. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.