Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Stock Position in Raymond James (NYSE:RJF)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 69,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,141 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Raymond James were worth $10,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of RJF. Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its position in Raymond James by 121.0% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Raymond James during the third quarter worth $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Raymond James during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Raymond James by 80.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Raymond James in the 4th quarter worth $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.83% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of RJF opened at $151.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $31.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.77, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $161.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.31. Raymond James has a 12 month low of $104.24 and a 12 month high of $174.32.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.31. Raymond James had a return on equity of 19.71% and a net margin of 14.06%. Analysts predict that Raymond James will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Raymond James Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Raymond James’s payout ratio is currently 19.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on RJF. JMP Securities increased their price objective on Raymond James from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Raymond James from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $166.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Raymond James from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.09.

Insider Transactions at Raymond James

In other Raymond James news, CEO Paul C. Reilly sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.30, for a total transaction of $8,365,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 283,110 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,364,303. This trade represents a 15.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Tashtego S. Elwyn sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.47, for a total transaction of $1,594,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 32,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,212,755.36. The trade was a 23.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 64,621 shares of company stock worth $10,729,488 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Profile

Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments.