Bailard Inc. Purchases Shares of 868 Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR)

Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Piper Sandler Companies by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 16,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,558,000 after acquiring an additional 2,819 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Piper Sandler Companies by 307.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 32,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,174,000 after purchasing an additional 24,388 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Piper Sandler Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 205,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,689 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Piper Sandler Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $624,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in Piper Sandler Companies by 63.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 21,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,101,000 after buying an additional 8,337 shares in the last quarter. 72.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on PIPR shares. StockNews.com cut Piper Sandler Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Piper Sandler Companies from $298.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Piper Sandler Companies in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

Piper Sandler Companies Stock Performance

Shares of PIPR stock opened at $264.40 on Thursday. Piper Sandler Companies has a 52-week low of $183.58 and a 52-week high of $351.80. The stock has a market cap of $4.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $298.65 and its 200-day moving average is $306.60.

Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE:PIPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The financial services provider reported $4.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.81. Piper Sandler Companies had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 11.87%. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Piper Sandler Companies will post 14.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Piper Sandler Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 25.44%.

About Piper Sandler Companies

Piper Sandler Companies operates as an investment bank and institutional securities firm that serves corporations, private equity groups, public entities, non-profit entities, and institutional investors in the United States and internationally. It offers investment banking services and institutional sales, trading, and research services for various equity and fixed income products; advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt private placements, and debt and restructuring advisory; raises capital through equity and debt financings; underwrites municipal issuances; and municipal financial advisory and loan placement services, as well as various over-the-counter derivative products.