Lafayette Investments Inc. Sells 1,706 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Lafayette Investments Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 180,870 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,706 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group comprises approximately 2.3% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $11,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 604,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 20.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of JEF traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $64.12. The stock had a trading volume of 118,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,233,502. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.38 and a 1-year high of $67.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.49 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.71.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.46%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 77.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on 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.