AlphaQuest LLC Invests $377,000 in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC invested approximately $377,000 in Jefferies Financial Group by acquiring 7,041 shares during the first quarter.
• Jefferies reported $0.40 earnings per share, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44, with quarterly revenue down 1.3% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 to be paid on August 29th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.5%.

AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,041 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $377,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CW Advisors LLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 8,346 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $291,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $78,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 161.9% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 28,288 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 17,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elequin Capital LP grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% during the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on JEF shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 280,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,782,090. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.28 and a fifty-two week high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $58.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98 and a beta of 1.49.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.38%.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.