First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. Has $4.22 Million Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 53,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group makes up approximately 1.1% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $4,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $53.53 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.50. The company has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.72 and a 52-week high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on JEF. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.