Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 400,912 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 50.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 401,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 400,912 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.19% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $21,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE JEF traded down $1.38 on Friday, reaching $52.21. 1,296,021 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,683,416. The stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52 and a beta of 1.45. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $75.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.75.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.