Azora Capital LP Makes New $10.58 Million Investment in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Azora Capital LP purchased 211,758 shares of Jefferies Financial Group, valued at approximately $10.58 million, giving it a 0.11% stake. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of JEF.
• Jefferies reported quarterly EPS of $1.02, below the $1.16 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 35% year over year to $2.21 billion. The company also authorized a $250 million share buyback and maintains a $0.40 quarterly dividend, yielding about 3%.
• JEF was trading at $53.12, below its average analyst price target of $62.62; analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold,” with two Buy ratings and five Hold ratings.

Azora Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 211,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,584,000. Azora Capital LP owned about 0.11% of Jefferies Financial Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JEF. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,509,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 132,263 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,196,000 after buying an additional 64,682 shares during the last quarter. Check Capital Management Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,041,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,941,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 808.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 36,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,506,000 after buying an additional 32,481 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $53.12 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $54.78 and its 200 day moving average is $50.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market cap of $10.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.54. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.53 and a 12-month high of $71.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 9.23%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 35.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on JEF. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Loop Capital set a $60.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $42.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.62.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides a range of investment banking, capital markets and asset management services to corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Through its core platform, Jefferies offers advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity underwriting, restructuring and recapitalization. The firm also operates a global sales and trading business covering equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products, complemented by equity research and macroeconomic analysis.

In addition to its capital markets franchise, Jefferies maintains a growing asset management division that delivers customized investment solutions across public and private markets.

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