Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Stock Holdings Lowered by Algert Global LLC

Algert Global LLC lowered its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 124,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,583 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $7,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of JEF. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.0% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 150,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,638,000 after purchasing an additional 4,336 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,779,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 1,058,794 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,693,000 after acquiring an additional 45,348 shares during the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $294,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,446,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of JEF opened at $78.58 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $66.26 and its 200-day moving average is $56.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $16.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.58 and a beta of 1.31. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.34 and a fifty-two week high of $78.74.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151 over the last 90 days. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc operates as an investment banking and capital markets firm in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Investment Banking and Capital Markets, and Asset Management. It provides investment banking, advisory services with respect to mergers or acquisitions, debt financing, restructurings or recapitalizations, and private capital advisory transactions; underwriting and placement services related to corporate debt, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, equity and equity-linked securities, and loan syndication services; and corporate lending services.