Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $100.00 and last traded at $99.95, with a volume of 39515 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $98.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Stifel Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $96.67.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.42 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 35.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 1,818.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Stifel Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in Stifel Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 27.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 388.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. 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.