Teacher Retirement System of Texas Reduces Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,347 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trivest Advisors Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,005,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 4,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 3,230 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $268,000. Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 25,167 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 612.4% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 195,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,341,000 after buying an additional 168,203 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $54.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.00 and its 200-day moving average is $69.41. The stock has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26 and a beta of 1.37. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 53.69%.

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.