SFL (NYSE:SFL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BTIG Research Analyst Says

SFL (NYSE:SFL) had its target price upped by research analysts at BTIG Research from $11.00 to $12.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the shipping company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 17.13% from the company’s previous close.

SFL has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded SFL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded SFL from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SFL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

SFL Stock Up 2.4%

SFL stock opened at $10.25 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $8.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,024.50 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. SFL has a twelve month low of $6.73 and a twelve month high of $10.29.

SFL (NYSE:SFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The shipping company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter. SFL had a positive return on equity of 3.05% and a negative net margin of 0.20%.The firm had revenue of $175.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.36 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 23.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SFL

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in SFL by 68.0% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 48,023 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 19,439 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of SFL by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 660,013 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $5,155,000 after buying an additional 86,339 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in shares of SFL in the 4th quarter valued at about $482,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of SFL by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 90,891 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 3,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of SFL by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,259,801 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $9,839,000 after buying an additional 174,072 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.59% of the company’s stock.

SFL News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting SFL this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.20 quarterly cash dividend (88th consecutive), supporting an attractive ~8% yield and reinforcing SFL’s shareholder-return profile. SFL – Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: SFL sold two 2015-built Suezmax tankers for ~$52M and invested ~$23M to acquire exposure to two 2020-built Suezmaxes — a direct bet on “boiling” tanker markets that could drive higher cash flows if charter rates hold. SFL bets on ‘boiling’ tanker markets with suezmax deal
• Positive Sentiment: Preliminary Q4 results showed total operating revenues of ~$176M and adjusted EBITDA of $109M, with revenue modestly ahead of consensus — evidence of solid cash generation despite a tough year-over-year comparison. SFL – Fourth Quarter 2025 Results Presentation
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $12 and maintained a Buy rating, providing analyst support and potential upside relative to the current price. Analyst Coverage / BTIG
• Neutral Sentiment: Management held an earnings webcast and published call transcripts and a slide deck for investors; useful for gauging management’s outlook on charter rates, fleet employment and capital allocation. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: SFL reported a small net loss of ~$4.7M (−$0.04 per share) and revenues declined ~23% versus the prior year, highlighting ongoing profitability pressure and cyclicality in shipping demand. QuiverQuant summary of Q4 results

SFL Company Profile

Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) is an independent owner of modern, large-size ocean-going vessels that provides finance and leasing services to the global shipping industry. The company’s fleet encompasses a diversified mix of crude oil tankers, product and chemical tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, dry bulk carriers, container vessels and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. By structuring long-term charter agreements and bareboat leases with major oil companies, commodity traders and offshore operators, Ship Finance International seeks to deliver stable cash flows and risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

In its core business, Ship Finance International acquires or finances vessels through forward sales agreements and then charters them out under fixed-rate contracts, typically ranging from five to 20 years in duration.