Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on SF. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $99.33 target price on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $93.33 to $103.33 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $88.67 to $90.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stifel Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.15.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE SF opened at $76.90 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96 and a beta of 1.10. Stifel Financial has a 12-month low of $55.48 and a 12-month high of $89.83. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 15.34% and a return on equity of 18.95%. Stifel Financial’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Stifel Financial will post 6.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 34.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In other Stifel Financial news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total value of $49,724.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,315.52. This trade represents a 28.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $391,674,000 after buying an additional 419,038 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 94.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,893,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $362,368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408,347 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 2.0% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,371,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $269,128,000 after purchasing an additional 45,631 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,844,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $231,034,000 after purchasing an additional 17,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,725,806 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $216,117,000 after purchasing an additional 99,485 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Stifel Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Stifel Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat on earnings and showed year-over-year revenue growth; EPS topped consensus and the company reported record or near‑record net revenues, supporting profitability improvement and higher ROE. Stifel Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Investment banking and wealth management were primary drivers of growth in Q1, per multiple deep-dive articles and the earnings presentation — these higher‑margin businesses underpin revenue resilience even amid market uncertainty. SF Q1 Deep Dive
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel provided a Q2 net interest income range ($280M–$290M) and maintained guidance for up to $4B of full‑year bank asset growth, which supports forward NII expectations and balance‑sheet expansion plans. NII Range and Asset Growth Guide
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted a detailed earnings call and slide deck (transcript and presentation available) — useful for investors wanting line‑by‑line color on deal pipelines, expenses and capital allocation. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst model context: consensus expectations for FY EPS remain elevated (street ~6.27), so upside/ downside will hinge on sustained deal flow and NII execution. Market Data & Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Management explicitly flagged macroeconomic risks and uncertainty on the call — investor concern that a tougher backdrop could slow capital‑markets activity and fees. Stifel Posts Record Revenue, Flags Macro Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Deal activity cooled in March, creating a near‑term revenue snag for investment banking despite overall quarterly strength — a hit to forward M&A/ECM fee visibility. IB Leads Despite March Snag
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded Stifel to “strong sell,” which can pressure sentiment and trigger short‑term selling despite the beat; watch for further analyst reactions. Zacks Downgrade

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.