Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) Shares Sold by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board decreased its position in shares of Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Raymond James were worth $1,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Raymond James during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Raymond James during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Raymond James by 80.3% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Raymond James in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.83% of the company’s stock.

Raymond James Stock Down 0.5 %

RJF stock opened at $159.63 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $161.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.02. Raymond James has a fifty-two week low of $104.24 and a fifty-two week high of $174.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.03.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.31. Raymond James had a net margin of 14.06% and a return on equity of 19.99%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Raymond James will post 11.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Raymond James Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a positive change from Raymond James’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on RJF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Raymond James from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Raymond James from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $161.00 to $185.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $198.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Raymond James from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Nine 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $166.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Raymond James Company 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.