Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also commented on SF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group set a $90.00 price target on Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised Stifel Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Friday, May 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.90.

Stifel Financial Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE SF opened at $83.08 on Friday. Stifel Financial has a 52 week low of $67.81 and a 52 week high of $89.83. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $74.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 0.99.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 16.11% and a return on equity of 19.32%. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Stifel Financial will post 6.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, Director Maryam S. Brown sold 4,700 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.20, for a total value of $372,240.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,736.80. This trade represents a 45.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 5.8% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Stifel Financial by 1,162.6% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 2,488 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 106.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 86.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 128,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,349,000 after buying an additional 59,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 51.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 31,906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,425,000 after buying an additional 10,771 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full?service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research?driven insights.

The firm’s main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.