Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Given New $135.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $128.00 to $135.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on SF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.33.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 1.5 %

SF stock opened at $115.81 on Thursday. Stifel Financial has a 1-year low of $71.36 and a 1-year high of $120.64. The stock has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $110.84 and its 200 day moving average is $99.89.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. Sell-side analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Stifel Financial news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total value of $2,904,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 159,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,544,535.42. This trade represents a 13.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SF. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Stifel Financial by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,086,000 after purchasing an additional 41,171 shares in the last quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $2,759,000. Curi RMB Capital LLC boosted its position in Stifel Financial by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 69,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,507,000 after acquiring an additional 9,396 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 4,308.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,423 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 5,300 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,956,412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $747,107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Company Profile

Stifel Financial Corp., a financial services and bank holding company, provides retail and institutional wealth management, and investment banking services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other.