Sciencast Management LP Takes Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP acquired 4,983 shares of Jefferies Financial Group, valued at approximately $267,000, marking a new investment in the company.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.40, missing analysts' estimates by $0.04 and showing a decline in revenue of 1.3% year-over-year.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with price targets ranging from $54 to $72, and a consensus average target price of $70.50.

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Elequin Capital LP lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% during the first quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. JCIC Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% during the first quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 87.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter worth $78,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.66. The company had a trading volume of 890,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,261,232. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.28 and a 1 year high of $82.68. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $59.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $13.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15 and a beta of 1.49.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 7.70%.The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on JEF. Zacks Research raised Jefferies Financial Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $54.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.50.

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.