Stifel Financial Corporation $SF Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its position in Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) by 57.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,824 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 34,114 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $2,576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 5,528.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 40.8% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 43.6% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new position in Stifel Financial in the first quarter worth $68,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in Stifel Financial by 151.9% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE SF opened at $122.94 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $116.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.39. Stifel Financial Corporation has a 52 week low of $73.27 and a 52 week high of $125.73. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.06. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 12.44%.The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corporation will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on SF shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $131.00 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $131.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $121.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.90.

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.