Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF – Get Rating) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 10th.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Stifel Financial stock opened at $57.40 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $58.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.38. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $49.31 and a 1 year high of $68.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by ($0.05). Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 15.28%. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. Stifel Financial’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In related news, CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski purchased 2,500 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $55.00 per share, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,377,326 shares in the company, valued at $75,752,930. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 15,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total transaction of $866,250.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,331,939. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski acquired 2,500 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $55.00 per share, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,377,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,752,930. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 32,500 shares of company stock worth $1,848,500. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 111.4% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Quilter Plc purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 1st quarter valued at about $682,191,000. Laffer Tengler Investments purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 35.9% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 321.8% in the 4th quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the period. 83.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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Stifel Financial Corp. provides securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services. It operates through the following segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other. The Global Wealth Management segment provides securities transaction, brokerage, and investment services to clients.