Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 778,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,114 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.38% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $61,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of JEF stock opened at $66.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $74.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.46. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.72 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The company has a market capitalization of $13.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.20 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.06). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 53.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

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.