Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $92.00 price target on Stifel Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Stifel Financial in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Stifel Financial from $136.00 to $92.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Stifel Financial from $88.67 to $90.67 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $99.33 price target on shares of Stifel Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.15.

Stifel Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SF opened at $77.39 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74 and a beta of 1.10. Stifel Financial has a 52 week low of $54.49 and a 52 week high of $89.83.

Stifel Financial (NYSE:SF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. Stifel Financial had a net margin of 12.37% and a return on equity of 15.53%. Stifel Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Stifel Financial will post 6.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stifel Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.51 dividend. This is a positive change from Stifel Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Stifel Financial’s payout ratio is presently 34.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Stifel Financial

In related news, insider David Rubulotta sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.87, for a total transaction of $49,724.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,315.52. This trade represents a 28.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stifel Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SF. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,533 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Stifel Financial by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of Stifel Financial by 8.6% in the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Stifel Financial by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 23,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,936,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Stifel Financial by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,666 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. 82.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Stifel Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Stifel Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS and net income beat consensus and company reported record net revenues and strong net income, showing meaningful year-over-year improvement — a fundamental positive for earnings power. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Investment banking led results (M&A and capital markets strength) helped drive the revenue beat and is highlighted as the growth engine in analyst write-ups. IB Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Mgmt outlined a Q2 net interest income range ($280M–$290M) and reiterated up to $4B full‑year bank asset growth — supportive for recurring NII if rates and asset mix hold. NII Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for deeper read — useful for active investors but neutral until new guidance or detail changes expectations. Call Transcript Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded SF from “hold” to “strong sell,” which can pressure short‑term sentiment and trigger selling from investors following Zacks’ signals. Zacks TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Management and post‑earnings coverage flagged macro and dealmaking risks; revenue missed some street estimates despite the EPS beat, which likely fueled the selloff. TipRanks Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party comparisons and industry pieces (e.g., Bank of America vs. Stifel) provide context on relative valuation and scale but are not direct catalysts. Comparison

Stifel Financial Company Profile

Stifel Financial Corp. is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm has grown into a full‐service brokerage and investment banking organization serving individual investors, corporations and institutions. Through its principal subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, the company delivers a broad array of financial products and services backed by research‐driven insights.

The firm’s main business activities are organized into two core segments: Private Client Group and Institutional Group.