SF vs AA Comparison

Stifel Financial is a diversified financial-services provider that generates revenue from wealth management, investment banking, and lending. The firm was founded in 1890 as a St. Louis-based full-service brokerage but has been transformed under CEO Ronald Kruszewski through a slew of acquisitions into a globally competitive wealth manager, investment bank, and retail and institutional brokerage. The firm generated $5.5 billion in revenue in 2025, with roughly two-thirds derived from wealth management and one-third derived from investment banking and trading.

Alcoa is a vertically integrated aluminum company whose operations include bauxite mining, alumina refining, and manufacturing primary aluminum. It is the world's largest bauxite miner and alumina refiner by production volume, and the eighth-largest aluminum producer. Profits are closely tied to prevailing commodity prices along the aluminum supply chain.Alcoa was the first mass producer of aluminum, launching the world-changing Hall-Heroult smelting process in the 1880s, making aluminum affordable. It listed as a public company in 1925. In 2016, Alcoa spun off its automotive and aerospace metal parts segment to focus on mining, smelting, and refining. It bought the 40% unowned balance of AWAC in mid-2024, meaning refining assets are now predominantly wholly owned, as with smelting.