Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) Shares Acquired by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 650.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,403 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,683 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 3.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Tributary Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 1.0% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 12,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Stifel Financial by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SF opened at $110.61 on Thursday. Stifel Financial Corp. has a 12 month low of $72.78 and a 12 month high of $120.64. The stock has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $109.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.46 dividend. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is 29.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Stifel Financial in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Stifel Financial from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.71.

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.