KBC Group NV Grows Holdings in Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR)

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 218 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Piper Sandler Companies were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Piper Sandler Companies by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Piper Sandler Companies by 10.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Piper Sandler Companies by 3.3% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,229,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in Piper Sandler Companies by 20.9% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,888 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kesler Norman & Wride LLC purchased a new position in Piper Sandler Companies during the third quarter worth about $469,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.79% of the company’s stock.

Piper Sandler Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PIPR opened at $319.81 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $302.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 31.29 and a beta of 1.46. Piper Sandler Companies has a 12 month low of $177.80 and a 12 month high of $351.80.

Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $4.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.99 by $0.81. Piper Sandler Companies had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 17.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Piper Sandler Companies will post 13.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Piper Sandler Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on PIPR. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Piper Sandler Companies from $298.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Piper Sandler Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Piper Sandler Companies in a report on Monday.

About Piper Sandler Companies

Piper Sandler Companies operates as an investment bank and institutional securities firm that serves corporations, private equity groups, public entities, non-profit entities, and institutional investors in the United States and internationally. It offers investment banking services and institutional sales, trading, and research services for various equity and fixed income products; advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt private placements, and debt and restructuring advisory; raises capital through equity and debt financings; underwrites municipal issuances; and municipal financial advisory and loan placement services, as well as various over-the-counter derivative products.