GW&K Investment Management LLC Sells 162,297 Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

GW&K Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,085,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 162,297 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial makes up about 1.0% of GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $115,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 148.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of SF stock opened at $103.94 on Friday. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.78 and a 1-year high of $120.64. The firm has a market cap of $10.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50-day moving average of $109.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. 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 1.77%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 29.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SF shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.71.

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.