Short Interest in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Increases By 48.1%

Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, a growth of 48.1% from the February 28th total of 1,290,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 754,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stifel Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.71.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of SF traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $94.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,026,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 625,593. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50-day moving average is $105.26 and its 200-day moving average is $105.34. Stifel Financial has a twelve month low of $73.51 and a twelve month high of $120.64. The company has a market capitalization of $9.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09 and a beta of 1.08.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a return on equity of 16.59% and a net margin of 14.00%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial will post 8.26 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Stifel Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 46.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in Stifel Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.