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Stifel SF

Stifel scores average on business quality (5.1 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.

Last price$70.34Oct 10, 2026
Business qualityAverage
Next earningsOct 28, 2026, before the open
Insiders, 90 daysSelling

Why it matters

  1. What Stifel does

    Stifel Financial makes money by providing retail brokerage, wealth management, and institutional investment banking services. Clients pay commissions, fees, and interest on margin balances.

  2. What it does best

    Stifel excels at gross efficiency, posting a gross margin of 99.1 percent. This tops peers like RJF at 87.3 percent and FRHC at 74.2 percent. High margins stem from proprietary wealth platforms that lock in advisors and clients alike.

  3. The main risk

    Heavy debt loads create structural vulnerability, with total debt of $31.9 billion creating high leverage. With interest coverage sitting thin at 2.6x, rate shocks threaten earnings power.

Quality, check by check

Scored against its own industry, from company filings.

ProfitabilityFair

Operating margins sit at 29.8 percent with an ROE of 16.1 percent, placing profitability in the upper half of its sector. Scale provides steady margins despite fluctuating free cash flow.

MoatWeak

The firm relies on brand and advisor relationships to lock in wealthy clients. Its gross margin sits in the 99th sector percentile. Rivals struggle to poach advisors given entrenched client books.

GrowthSteady

Revenue reached $6.7 billion, growing at a 6.7 percent rate. Growth is middle-of-the-pack for its sector at the 44th percentile, tracking slightly ahead of its multi-year historical pace.

Financial healthFair

Debt-to-equity sits high at 5.3x with interest coverage at 2.6x, leaving little margin for error. Free cash flow came in at $361 million, down from prior periods. The balance sheet remains soft.

Insiders

Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.

1 sold $372K outside pre-planned sales.

Our sealed record on SF

Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.

The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.

Questions

Is SF a good business?

Stifel scores average on the Cluenex quality check (5.1 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is fair, moat weak, growth steady and financial health fair.

Are insiders buying SF?

In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: 1 sold $372K outside pre-planned sales.

When does SF report earnings?

Oct 28, 2026, before the open.

For members

See SF today

  • Today's verdict on SF, and why
  • Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
  • The exact price that would change the verdict
  • Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
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Cite this page: Cluenex, “Stifel (SF)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/sf/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.