Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Purchases 1,108 Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $1,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SF. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $6,174,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $137,448,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 299,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,746,000 after buying an additional 93,341 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $423,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 32,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 5,503 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 8.4 %

Shares of NYSE SF opened at $78.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Stifel Financial Corp. has a one year low of $73.51 and a one year high of $120.64. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.25.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $121.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.86.

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.