Stephens Spotlights
We provide investment banking, research, sales and trading, asset and wealth management, public finance, insurance, private capital, and family office services.
We are a family-owned financial services firm that values client relationships, long-term stability, and supporting the communities where we live and work.
The idea of family defines our culture, because each of us knows that our reputation is on the line as if our own name was on the door.
Our reputation as a leading independent financial services firm is built on the stability of our longstanding and highly experienced senior executives.
We are committed to bettering the communities where we live and operate. We do this by supporting corporate philanthropy, economic and financial literacy advocacy, and professional success.
Stephens is proud to sponsor the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, and PGA TOUR Champions careers, as well as applaud the philanthropic endeavors, of our Brand Ambassadors.
Stephens is the official investment banking partner of Williams Racing, one of the most winning teams in F1 history. We share that tradition of success.
We host many highly informative meetings each year with clients, industry decision makers, and thought leaders across the U.S. and in Europe.
We provide fiduciary investment strategies to public-and private-sector institutional clients through asset allocation, consulting, and retirement services.
Decades of proven performance and experience in providing tailored fixed income trading and underwriting services to major municipal and corporate issuers.
Proven industry-leading research, global market insights, and client-focused execution.
Customized risk management, property & casualty, executive strategies and employee benefits solutions that protect our clients over the long term.
We assist companies with accessing capital through innovative advisory and execution services that help firms achieve their strategic goals.
We have been a trusted and reliable source of capital for private companies for over 70 years.
Our experienced Private Client Group professionals develop customized investment strategies to help clients achieve their financial goals.
We are a trusted municipal advisor with proven expertise in public financings. We also work with clients in negotiated and competitive municipal underwritings.
Stephens Spotlights
The City of Starkville, Mississippi, issued $12.56 million of General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds for a Parks and Recreation Improvements Project. Stephens served as Municipal Advisor on the issuance for the City.
Proceeds of the bonds will primarily be used for the construction of a community center, improving playground facilities, and improving drainage systems in the parks. This includes the potential for auditoriums, gymnasiums, athletic stadiums and athletic fields, swimming pools, as well as sports tournament and other recreational facilities.
Max Neely, Vice President in Stephens Public Finance, served as the lead banker for the firm. Stephens Public Finance worked with the City of Starkville to build a multi-step process for meeting its capital raising needs.
We developed a capital planning model that addressed sales tax revenue and other revenues dedicated to parks projects, helped determine the feasibility of the financing, conducted an analysis showing the benefit of having an underlying rating on the transaction, walked the City through the rating process, and had the bonds pre-qualified for bond insurance so that potential bidders had the option to bid it with insurance.
The bonds will primarily be paid with the proceeds of the special sales taxes approved by the voters of the City. This includes 1% of the gross sales of hotel rooms in the City and 1% of the gross sales of prepared food and beverages, including alcoholic beverages, in the City. The bonds received an underlying rating of A1 from Moody’s Investor Service and an insured rating of AA/Stable from S&P Global Ratings.
While working with Stephens, for the first time the City accepted bids on the issuance through an electronic submission system. This enabled Stephens to attract new bidders and buyers for the City’s bonds, which we believe helped the issuer secure a lower cost of capital.