Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Shares Sold by Poplar Forest Capital LLC

Poplar Forest Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 36,592 shares during the period. Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $6,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in Stifel Financial by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 690,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,778,000 after purchasing an additional 20,428 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 94.6% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 76,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,271,000 after acquiring an additional 37,047 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 149.3% in the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 10,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 6,289 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 52,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,644,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

NYSE SF traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $78.28. 792,515 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 549,141. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $54.81 and a 52-week high of $79.23. The company has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $75.84 and its 200-day moving average is $69.10.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.19. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.58 EPS. Stifel Financial’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is a boost from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 39.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total value of $2,713,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 54,732 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,125,150.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Thomas B. Michaud sold 25,421 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $1,887,763.46. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 90,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,687,484.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Victor Nesi sold 36,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total transaction of $2,713,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 54,732 shares in the company, valued at $4,125,150.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SF. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $86.50 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.50.

About Stifel Financial

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.