Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $15.93 Million Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 394,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,080 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.19% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $15,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $71,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 16.1% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $111,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. StockNews.com raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.00.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares in the company, valued at $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE JEF opened at $44.86 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.55. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.81 and a twelve month high of $47.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.51 billion, a PE ratio of 36.77 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 5.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 98.36%.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.