Stifel Wins 12 Awards in the 2014 StarMine Analyst Awards; Achieves Ninth Consecutive Top Five Ranking

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwired - Sep 8, 2014) - Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced that Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated won 12 awards in the 2014 StarMine Analyst Awards, ranking the firm fifth out of 329 qualifying firms. In addition, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp., won two awards. Stifel and KBW's 14 combined awards are the second most among all qualifying firms.

StarMine has ranked Stifel in its top five for nine consecutive years and in its top ten for 11 consecutive years. The firm is fourth in total awards won since 2004 (figures include Legg Mason Capital Markets, Ryan Beck, and Thomas Weisel Partners, which were acquired by Stifel Financial Corp.).

"We're pleased to report yet another outstanding performance for Stifel research," said Hugh Warns, Director of Research at Stifel. "Our nine straight top five rankings -- something no other firm can claim -- are a significant achievement and speak to the consistency and quality of the research we provide."

In the earnings estimating category, Rod Petrik was named the No. 1 overall estimator among a field of 3,562 analysts. It is Mr. Petrik's third No. 1 overall earnings estimator award and his fourth top ten finish since 2011. 

In their respective industries, Stifel analysts also won eight earnings estimating awards, including four No. 1 rankings:

• Rod Petrik, No. 1 in Real Estate Investment Trusts (Five-time award winner)
• Shlomo Rosenbaum, No. 1 in Professional Services
• Simon Yarmak, No. 1 in Hotels & Leisure
• Christopher King^*, No. 1 in Diversified Telecommunication Services (Five-time award winner)
• Robert Craig^* and Jerry Herman, No. 2 in Diversified Consumer Services (11-time award winners)
• Annabel Samimy, No. 2 in Pharmaceuticals
• Todd Weller^*, No. 2 in Software (Seven-time award winner)
• Christopher King^*, No. 3 in Media

^*No longer with firm

Within the earnings estimating category, KBW's Bose George won two awards, ranking No. 1 in Thrifts and Mortgage Finance and No. 3 in Real Estate Investment Trusts. He is a three-time award winner. Together, Stifel and KBW won more awards for earnings estimating than any other firm.

In the stock-picking category, Stifel analysts took home three awards:

• John Baugh, No. 2 in Household Durables (Two-time award winner)
• John Larkin, No. 2 in Road & Rail (Five-time award winner)
• John Larkin, No. 3 in Air Freight & Logistics

About the StarMine Analyst Awards
StarMine, a leading provider of objective ratings of sell-side securities analysts, measures the performance of analysts based on the industry excess returns of their buy/sell recommendations and the accuracy of their earnings estimates. The 2014 StarMine Analyst Awards recognize sell-side analysts who have shown outstanding performance as earnings estimators from April 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014, or stock pickers during calendar year 2013. In determining the winners, StarMine identified the top three earnings estimators and stock pickers in 68 industries, as well as the top ten earnings estimators and stock pickers overall.

About Stifel Research
Stifel's equity research department is an industry leader in terms of breadth and quality, following significant investment over the last nine years. Stifel covers 1,030 companies across 11 industry groups and 63 sub-sectors, making it one of the 10 largest providers of U.S. equity research. Stifel is also the third largest provider of U.S. small cap equity coverage and the largest provider of U.S. equity coverage in technology and transportation, according to StarMine. Combined, Stifel and KBW have the largest U.S. equity research platform, with 1,492 stocks under coverage.

About KBW Research
KBW's equity research department is an industry leader in specialized financial services. KBW covers 548 companies across 19 sub-sectors, making it the largest provider of U.S. equity research in financial institutions. KBW also is the fourth largest provider of U.S. small cap equity coverage and ranks among the top three in coverage of thrifts & mortgage finance, capital markets, and REITs, according to StarMine.

Stifel Company Information
Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel's broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Century Securities Associates, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Limited; and Oriel Securities Limited. The Company's broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank & Trust offers a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. offers trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company's web site at www.stifel.com.