SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 1,946 Shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 115.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,946 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $776,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $245,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 5,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

NYSE SF opened at $112.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.74 and a 200-day moving average of $100.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 1-year low of $72.78 and a 1-year high of $120.64.

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, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 7.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 26.92%.

Insider Activity at Stifel Financial

In related news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of Stifel Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total transaction of $2,904,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 159,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,544,535.42. This trade represents a 13.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.71.

Stifel Financial 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.