Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Shares to Split on Friday, February 27th

Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE:SF) shares are going to split on the morning of Friday, February 27th. The 3-2 split was announced on Tuesday, January 27th. The newly issued shares will be distributed to shareholders after the market closes on Thursday, February 26th.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE:SF opened at $125.48 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.64. Stifel Financial has a 52 week low of $73.27 and a 52 week high of $134.74. The stock has a market cap of $12.78 billion, a PE ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.15. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 12.37%.The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.23 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 34.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $133.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $149.00 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $138.00 price objective on Stifel Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other news, insider David Rubulotta sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total value of $49,724.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 992 shares in the company, valued at $123,315.52. The trade was a 28.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 2,727.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,326,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,468,000 after purchasing an additional 2,243,961 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Stifel Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $143,377,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $56,126,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 13.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,451,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $391,674,000 after buying an additional 419,038 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 206.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 563,419 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,931,000 after buying an additional 379,817 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Stifel Financial

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full‐service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research‐driven insights.

The firm’s main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.