HighTower Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Stifel Financial by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Stifel Financial in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.71.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE SF opened at $97.10 on Friday. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52 week low of $73.51 and a 52 week high of $120.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $106.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 1.08.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 29.49%.

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.