Inceptionr LLC Takes Position in Stifel Financial Corporation $SF

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 13,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,680,000. Stifel Financial makes up approximately 0.5% of Inceptionr LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Stifel Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,446,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Stifel Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,126,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,451,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $391,674,000 after purchasing an additional 419,038 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 206.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 563,419 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,931,000 after purchasing an additional 379,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,485,503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $168,560,000 after purchasing an additional 314,031 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

NYSE SF opened at $70.50 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $10.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $75.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.84. Stifel Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $62.90 and a fifty-two week high of $89.83.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 18.76% and a net margin of 15.34%.The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 6.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Stifel Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.15.

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.