MML Investors Services LLC Raises Position in Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF)

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 820 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Stifel Financial were worth $2,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $513,000 after buying an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Stifel Financial by 6.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Stifel Financial during the second quarter valued at about $294,000. GYL Financial Synergies LLC lifted its stake in Stifel Financial by 531.6% during the second quarter. GYL Financial Synergies LLC now owns 20,318 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 17,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Stifel Financial by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,189,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,058,000 after purchasing an additional 7,348 shares during the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO David D. Sliney sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total value of $2,904,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 159,619 shares in the company, valued at $18,544,535.42. This trade represents a 13.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Stifel Financial from $113.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Stifel Financial in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Stifel Financial from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Stifel Financial from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Stifel Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.57.

Stifel Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:SF opened at $110.58 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.03. The stock has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00 and a beta of 1.08. Stifel Financial Corp. has a twelve month low of $65.63 and a twelve month high of $119.12.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by ($0.10). Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 14.92%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Stifel Financial Corp. will post 6.5 EPS for the current year.

Stifel Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.38%.

Stifel Financial Company 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.