Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Short Interest Update

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,870,686 shares, an increase of 56.4% from the February 12th total of 3,114,627 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,834,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 3.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,834,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on SF. Citizens Jmp lifted their target price on Stifel Financial from $93.33 to $103.33 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.13.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF stock traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $70.26. The company had a trading volume of 1,122,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,498,930. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Stifel Financial has a 1 year low of $48.85 and a 1 year high of $89.83. The company has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.87.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.10. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 15.53%. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.69%.

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

In related news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total value of $49,724.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,315.52. This trade represents a 28.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 2,727.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,326,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $241,468,000 after acquiring an additional 2,243,961 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Stifel Financial by 94.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,893,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $362,368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408,347 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Stifel Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $143,377,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial in the third quarter worth $56,126,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Stifel Financial by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,284,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $160,883,000 after buying an additional 433,341 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

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.