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RJFRaymond James Financial, Inc.Hold6.8·$169.30+1.90%
RJF · Why this verdict

Why Raymond James Financial (RJF) is rated HOLD

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictHOLD
Overall score6.8/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

Raymond James Financial is a high-quality wealth management franchise with a perfect Piotroski F-Score of 9/9, a confirmed wide economic moat, and consistent earnings beats, but the stock has already exceeded analyst consensus targets and sits in a confirmed short-term downtrend that limits near-term entry attractiveness.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Thesis pillars

Raymond James carries a confirmed wide economic moat score of 7.6 out of 10 alongside a perfect Piotroski F-Score of 9/9, compounder-quality designation, and volume accumulation in the market, reflecting a durable competitive position in wealth management services.

Improving
Quality breakdown
Expectation
Moat quality indicators, including return on equity and operating margins, remain strong with Piotroski F-Score staying at 8 or above over the next 4 quarters.

CounterWealth management companies with wide moats can still face significant revenue pressure during market downturns when assets under management decline and transaction volumes fall.

At a forward P/E of 11.6x with a PEG ratio of 0.87, the company is attractively valued for a wide-moat wealth manager, and positive LLM news sentiment of +0.40 and analyst consensus buy ratings support the fundamental attractiveness.

Stable
Valuation breakdown
Expectation
Forward P/E expands toward 14x within 12 months as the market recognizes the combination of moat quality and earnings consistency.

CounterThe stock is already trading above analyst consensus price targets, meaning a further multiple expansion would require analysts to raise targets materially, which is uncertain given the confirmed downtrend in price.

The company has beaten earnings estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters with consistent beats of 0.54%, 0.90%, and 9.97%, demonstrating stable and predictable earnings delivery around consensus expectations.

Improving
Earnings
Expectation
Earnings beats continue in at least 3 of the next 4 quarters, with EPS remaining above $2.50 per quarter.

CounterThe one miss in July 2025 saw a -7.5% shortfall, and the narrow beats in the most recent two quarters (0.54% and 0.90%) suggest earnings have converged very close to consensus, leaving little buffer for positive surprise.

Despite strong fundamental quality, the stock is in a confirmed downtrend with the 200-day moving average slope declining at -1.1% per month and volume accumulation (rising on-balance volume) insufficient to reverse the price trend.

Deteriorating
Momentum breakdown
Expectation
The stock recovers above a flat to positive 200-day moving average slope within 6 months as fundamental quality reasserts itself.

CounterDeath cross patterns in high-quality wealth managers tend to resolve within 3 to 6 months, and the improving MACD trend and rising on-balance volume suggest a reversal may be forming.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

7.5/10data confidence 83%
ComponentSub-score
P/E8.1
P/S8.9
Fwd P/E9.0
PEG7.4
Analyst target4.0
  • Forward P/E: 12.0x
  • PEG: 0.93
  • Attractively valued

Quality

8.5/10data confidence 71%
ComponentSub-score
Gross margin10.0
Op margin7.8
Net margin7.6
Moat7.2
Piotroski F10.0
  • Strong margins: 15%
  • Strong Piotroski F-Score: 9/9
  • High-quality business

Growth

8.2/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth6.3
EPS growth10.0

Momentum

3.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI5.5
MACD0.0
OBV1.0
MA position8.0
Volume2.2
  • Volume distribution (falling OBV)
  • Above 200-MA but MA slope flat

Sentiment

6.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
LLM sentiment6.4
Analyst rating7.1
Price target6.3

Insider

7.3/10data confidence 75%
ComponentSub-score
materiality5.0
holder change10.0
notable moves7.0
  • No net insider activity — $0 (0.000% of mkt cap)
  • Institutions accumulating

Peer rank

5.5/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank6.2
quality rank2.5
growth rank8.0
  • Industry growth leader

Technical

4.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger3.2
support resistance1.2
52w position9.3

Risk (lower is worse)

6.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest7.2
days to cover4.4
volatility6.6
put call3.8
implied vol8.0
max pain risk7.0
beta7.4
debt equity8.1
news risk6.0

Catalyst

6.4/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history10.0
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg4.9
dividend safety5.5
news activity8.0
  • Perfect beat streak: 4Q

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Downgraded from BUY WAIT — price $169.30 has reached target $168.98. No upside to wait for.

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_C2_GARP_WAIT|SANITY:WAIT+price>=TP
Passed (7)
  • INSIDER:OK
  • 8K:CLEAN
  • NEWS_BOOST:ANALYST:0.70
  • NEWS_BOOST:ANALYST_CLUSTER(3)
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:95d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (3)
  • MOMENTUM:3.3<4.5
  • ASYMMETRY:-0.4=NEGATIVE
  • DEATH_CROSS:HARD_BLOCK
Warning (0)

none

Reward-to-Risk
-0.36
Upside
-5.0%
Downside
13.7%
Sizing output
AVOID

SetupRange Bound RSI 57 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band

EdgeTemporary headwind High quality (8.5) with weak momentum (3.3)

SuitabilityModerate Balanced profile

Investment implication

The C-path quality+growth combination triggered the HOLD_IF_HOLDING verdict: quality 8.5 and growth 8.2 both clear their thresholds, with asymmetric R:R of -0.36 supporting the read.

The strongest dimensions are Quality at 8.5, Growth at 8.2, and Value at 7.5; the weakest are Momentum at 3.3, Technical at 4.6, and Peer rank at 5.5. The V9 engine flagged 3 failed gates, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of -0.36 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Wide Economic Moat Quality

    Trip ifPiotroski F-Score drops below 7 or operating margin falls below 10% in any reported period.

  • P2Earnings Beat Consistency

    Trip ifEarnings per share falls below $2.50 in at least 2 of the next 4 quarters.

  • P3Confirmed Downtrend Technical Risk

    Trip if200-day moving average slope remains negative for more than 9 consecutive months.

  • P4Attractive Valuation Metrics

    Trip ifForward P/E contracts below 9x or analyst consensus price targets decline below $140.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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