Edgestream Partners L.P. Invests $5.63 Million in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 53,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,627,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned about 0.05% of Stifel Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Stifel Financial by 3.5% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Stifel Financial by 46.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Stifel Financial by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Stifel Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.71.

Stifel Financial Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of SF opened at $96.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 12 month low of $72.78 and a 12 month high of $120.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $109.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 1.11.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 14.00%. Analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is an increase from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.49%.

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.