Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Increases Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,412,167 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 246,578 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group comprises approximately 0.6% of Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 3.11% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $343,307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 925.4% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 2,332 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,582,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $124,035,000 after acquiring an additional 232,237 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $788,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 907 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,569,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of JEF opened at $55.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The business's 50 day moving average price is $50.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.73. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.28 and a 52 week high of $82.68. The stock has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 1.45.

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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.62% and a net margin of 7.70%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Oppenheimer cut Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.

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