Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,959,906 shares, a decrease of 21.7% from the December 31st total of 2,503,361 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 787,670 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 787,670 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SF. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Stifel Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $138.00 price objective on Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $133.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.18.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SF traded down $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,385,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 813,831. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $127.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Stifel Financial has a one year low of $73.27 and a one year high of $134.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.00 and a beta of 1.13.

Stifel Financial shares are going to split on the morning of Friday, February 27th. The 3-2 split was announced on Tuesday, January 27th. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, February 26th.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 15.80%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.51 dividend. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.29%.

Institutional Trading of Stifel Financial

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 12,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 2,383.3% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

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.