Algebris UK Ltd Invests $3.03 Million in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

Algebris UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 29,596 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,032,000. Stifel Financial makes up approximately 0.8% of Algebris UK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Stifel Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Stifel Financial by 78.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

SF stock opened at $96.18 on Wednesday. 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 Corp. has a 1 year low of $73.51 and a 1 year high of $120.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $107.26 and its 200-day moving average is $104.49.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.27. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 14.00% and a return on equity of 16.59%. Equities research analysts expect that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 8.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Stifel Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities increased their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $117.71.

Stifel Financial Profile

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.