Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Holdings Lowered by Private Management Group Inc.

Private Management Group Inc. lowered its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 911,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 236,785 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group comprises 2.0% of Private Management Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $56,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 14,824 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $912,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2.0% during the second quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 13,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $658,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.9% in the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $836,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE JEF traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $64.22. 868,426 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,232,128. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.69. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.75 and a 1 year high of $67.79. The company has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.46 and a beta of 1.32.

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). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $16,125,655.20. Following the sale, the president now owns 1,632,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $106,424,460.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 493,526 shares of company stock worth $31,703,689 in the last 90 days. 20.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.