* Q3 EPS $0.67 vs $0.46 year-ago

* Principal transaction revenue up 80 pct

* Investment banking revenue up 39 pct

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Investment bank Stifel Financial Corp (SF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a 73 percent jump in quarterly profit, helped by a rise in principal transaction and investment banking revenue.

For the third quarter, the company earned $22.1 million, or 67 cents a share, compared with $12.8 million, or 46 cents a share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average expected earnings of 54 cents a share, before items, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Principal transaction revenue rose 81 percent to $123.2 million. Investment banking revenue rose 39 percent to $35.1 million.

Shares of the company closed at $52.98 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Jochelle Mendonca in Bangalore; Editing by Unnikrishnan Nair) (jochelle.mendonca@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: jochelle.mendonca.reuters.com@reuters.net))