Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 232.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 280,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 195,902 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.14% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $18,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $76.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.58 and a twelve month high of $82.04. The company has a market capitalization of $15.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.57 and a beta of 1.35.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. Research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total value of $2,960,034.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,431,026.25. This trade represents a 31.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,144,592.54. The trade was a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 over the last three months. 20.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.