Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH decreased its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 361,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,636 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.18% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $19,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 87.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 105.5% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $141,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:JEF traded up $0.61 on Friday, reaching $57.64. The stock had a trading volume of 886,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,527,563. The company has a 50-day moving average of $53.38 and a 200 day moving average of $57.54. 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 stock has a market cap of $11.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.75 and a beta of 1.46. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 7.70%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

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.