Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Holdings Decreased by Citigroup Inc.

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. has reduced its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 94%, now owning around 0.23% with a value of approximately $25.7 million.
• Despite Citigroup's sell-off, other investors like JCIC Asset Management and GAMMA Investing have significantly increased their stakes in Jefferies Financial Group during the same period.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a miss on earnings with an EPS of $0.40, below the expected $0.44, alongside a revenue decline of 1.3% year-over-year.

Citigroup Inc. lessened its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 94.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 479,563 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,515,314 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $25,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% during the 1st quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 87.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 105.5% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 783 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 824.0% in the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 1,848 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 1,648 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE JEF traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $60.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,297,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,503. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $56.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.67. The company has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.28 and a 1-year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 7.70%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 60.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on JEF. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $66.00.

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.