941,443 Shares in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Purchased by Nykredit A S

Key Points

• Nykredit A S acquired 941,443 shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter, valued at approximately $47.1 million and representing a 0.49% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 60.88% of JEF.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $62.62 target price. Recent targets range from $50 to $60, while Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating.
• Jefferies reported quarterly EPS of $1.02 and revenue of $2.21 billion, both below estimates despite 35% year-over-year revenue growth. The company also announced a $250 million share-repurchase program and pays a $1.60 annualized dividend, yielding about 3.0%.

Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 941,443 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $47,053,000. Nykredit A S owned 0.49% of Jefferies Financial Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 15,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 672 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 6.4% in the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,896 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 77.6% in the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 547 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on JEF. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $42.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Loop Capital set a $60.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Monday, June 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.62.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $52.91 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $53.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $10.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.78 and a beta of 1.52. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.53 and a 52 week high of $71.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 7.58%.The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to repurchase $250.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Jefferies Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A Jefferies-linked fund obtained a freezing order and is pursuing legal action against iron ore trader Radiant World in London. The action may help protect the fund’s investment, although Jefferies holds only a minority stake and the direct financial impact on JEF is unclear. Jefferies-linked fund takes legal action against trader Radiant World in London
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies analysts issued Buy ratings on Cameco, enCore Energy and Nouveau Monde Mining, citing uranium-sector growth, production expansion, balance-sheet improvement and demand for non-Chinese graphite. The calls reinforce Jefferies’ research franchise and sector expertise, though they do not directly affect JEF’s operating results. Cameco Rated Buy on Structural Uranium Upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage of Welspun Corp with a Buy rating and a target implying substantial upside, while maintaining a Hold rating on TT Electronics because improved profitability is offset by weak cash conversion and debt concerns. These recommendations may generate client activity but have limited direct significance for JEF. Welspun Corp shares jump after Jefferies initiates coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies’ latest reported quarter came in below analyst expectations for both EPS and revenue despite strong year-over-year growth. That performance remains a more direct pressure on JEF’s valuation than the recent third-party research calls.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides a range of investment banking, capital markets and asset management services to corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Through its core platform, Jefferies offers advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity underwriting, restructuring and recapitalization. The firm also operates a global sales and trading business covering equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products, complemented by equity research and macroeconomic analysis.

In addition to its capital markets franchise, Jefferies maintains a growing asset management division that delivers customized investment solutions across public and private markets.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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