Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC

ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 66.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 70,659 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group makes up 0.0% of ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,446,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 228.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 375,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,442,000 after acquiring an additional 261,061 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $938,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $746,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 0.1%

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $57.09. 1,034,950 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,695,485. The company has a market cap of $11.78 billion, a PE ratio of 21.54 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $53.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share 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 last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on JEF. Wall Street Zen downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

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.