Bayforest Capital Ltd Purchases 4,650 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by **85.8%**, acquiring an additional 4,650 shares, bringing its total to 10,072 shares valued at **$551,000**.
• Several institutional investors, including Allspring Global Investments and JPMorgan Chase & Co., have also raised their stakes in Jefferies Financial Group, demonstrating a growing interest in the company.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a **$1.01 EPS**, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of **$0.40 per share**, reflecting a strong financial performance and a **3.0% yield** for investors.

Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 85.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,650 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 9.0% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,990,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $388,374,000 after buying an additional 578,013 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 13.7% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,808,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $364,723,000 after buying an additional 819,594 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 30.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,126,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $274,627,000 after buying an additional 1,184,822 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter worth $58,972,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 87.8% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 798,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $42,749,000 after buying an additional 373,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $74.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $74.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.40.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:JEF opened at $53.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $62.70 and a 200-day moving average of $55.25. The company has a market cap of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51 and a beta of 1.51. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $39.28 and a one year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 54.98%.

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.

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