Financial services firm Stifel Financial NYSE:SF missed Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q2 CY2026, with sales falling 25.5% year on year to $956.5 million. Its non-GAAP profit of $1.42 per share was 4.3% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Stifel (SF) Q2 CY2026 Highlights:
- Assets Under Management: $239.8 billion (16.2% year-on-year growth)
- Revenue: $956.5 million vs analyst estimates of $1.42 billion (25.5% year-on-year decline, 32.9% miss)
- Pre-tax Profit: $361.8 million (37.8% margin)
- Adjusted EPS: $1.42 vs analyst estimates of $1.36 (4.3% beat)
- Market Capitalization: $11.91 billion
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said “Stifel delivered an outstanding second quarter and a record first half, reflecting the strength, balance, and momentum of our franchise. In the first half of 2026, we executed on our strategy by: growing revenue, improving operating leverage, expanding our balance sheet, and deploying capital where it earns the best risk-adjusted returns. Just as importantly, Stifel was ranked No. 1 in Employee Advisor Satisfaction by J.D. Power for the fourth consecutive year, reinforcing the strength of our advisor-first culture. As we look ahead, Stifel remains well positioned to build on this momentum as our advice-driven business helps clients navigate an increasingly complex world.”
Company Overview
Tracing its roots back to 1890 when the firm was established in St. Louis, Stifel Financial NYSE:SF is a financial services firm that provides wealth management, investment banking, and institutional brokerage services to individuals, corporations, and institutions.
Revenue Growth
A company’s long-term sales performance can indicate its overall quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but many enduring ones grow for years. Over the last five years, Stifel grew its revenue at a tepid 5% compounded annual growth rate. This wasn’t a great result compared to the rest of the financials sector, but there are still things to like about Stifel.
We at StockStory place the most emphasis on long-term growth, but within financials, a half-decade historical view may miss recent interest rate changes, market returns, and industry trends. Stifel’s annualized revenue growth of 8.6% over the last two years is above its five-year trend, suggesting some bright spots.
Note: Quarters not shown were determined to be outliers because they were impacted by outsized investment gains/losses that are not indicative of the recurring fundamentals of the business.
This quarter, Stifel missed Wall Street’s estimates and reported a rather uninspiring 25.5% year-on-year revenue decline, generating $956.5 million of revenue.
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Key Takeaways from Stifel’s Q2 Results
It was good to see Stifel beat analysts’ EPS expectations this quarter. On the other hand, its revenue missed. Overall, this was a mixed quarter. The stock remained flat at $77.61 immediately after reporting.
Big picture, is Stifel a buy here and now? We think that the latest quarter is only one piece of the longer-term business quality puzzle. Quality, when combined with valuation, can help determine if the stock is a buy. .