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NTRS vs. SF: Northern Trust vs. Stifel Financial Stock Comparison

How do Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though NTRS is classified under Asset Management & Custody Banks while SF falls under Investment Banking & Brokerage.

Company profile comparison for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
Profile ItemNTRSSF
NameNorthern Trust CorporationStifel Financial Corp.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryAsset Management & Custody BanksInvestment Banking & Brokerage
Market Capitalization31.29 billion USD10.65 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980July 19, 1983
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NTRS
SF
GSPC
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Total Return (1Y)39.45%-8.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.68%24.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)11.05%9.74%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NTRS
SF
GSPC
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)24.90%27.41%
Beta (5Y)1.180.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)-50.03%-36.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.11M1.29M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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NTRS and SF are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.41-0.45
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.17-0.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 18.44% and Stifel Financial (SF) at 16.55% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

18.44%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NTRS
18.44%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

SF

Financial Services industry group

16.55%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
SF
16.55%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 26.00% and Stifel Financial (SF) at 16.73% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

26.00%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
NTRS
26.00%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

SF

Financial Services industry group

16.73%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
SF
16.73%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 34.80% and Stifel Financial (SF) at 22.49% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

34.80%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NTRS
34.80%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

SF

Financial Services industry group

22.49%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
SF
22.49%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
ROE (TTM)18.44%16.55%
ROA (TTM)1.44%2.25%
Net Margin (TTM)26.00%16.73%
Operating Margin (TTM)34.80%22.49%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Stifel Financial (SF) at 11.33% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Northern Trust (NTRS) at -2.46% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at -10.54% and Stifel Financial (SF) at -6.08% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Revenue Growth (YoY)-2.46%11.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)6.15%8.03%
EPS Growth (YoY)-10.54%-6.08%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)12.49%3.33%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Northern Trust (NTRS) in Financial Services and Stifel Financial (SF) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Northern Trust (NTRS) in Financial Services and Stifel Financial (SF) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 1.91% and Stifel Financial (SF) at 1.83% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

1.91%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
NTRS
1.91%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SF

Financial Services industry group

1.83%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
SF
1.83%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 25.73% and Stifel Financial (SF) at 22.98% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

25.73%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
NTRS
25.73%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

SF

Financial Services industry group

22.98%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
SF
22.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.91%1.83%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.73%22.98%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 13.55 and Stifel Financial (SF) at 12.37 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

13.55

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
NTRS
13.55
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

SF

Financial Services industry group

12.37

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
SF
12.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 3.35 and Stifel Financial (SF) at 1.82 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

3.35

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
NTRS
3.35
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

SF

Financial Services industry group

1.82

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
SF
1.82
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Northern Trust (NTRS) at 2.51 and Stifel Financial (SF) at 2.00 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

2.51

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
NTRS
2.51
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

SF

Financial Services industry group

2.00

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
SF
2.00
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Northern Trust (NTRS) vs. Stifel Financial (SF): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Northern Trust (NTRS) and Stifel Financial (SF)
MetricNTRSSF
P/E Ratio (TTM)13.5512.37
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.351.82
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.512.00
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----