Eisler Capital Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 306,250 Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Eisler Capital Management Ltd. has acquired 306,250 shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. valued at approximately $16.39 million, representing a 0.15% stake in the company.
• Jefferies Financial Group recently reported earnings of $0.40 per share, missing analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 with a yield of 2.5%.
• Analysts' ratings on Jefferies Financial Group are mixed, with Goldman Sachs raising its target price to $62, while Zacks downgraded the stock to a "strong sell." The average consensus target price stands at $66.00.

Eisler Capital Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 306,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $16,389,000. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. owned 0.15% of Jefferies Financial Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of JEF. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,295,000. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 173.1% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 17,713 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,389,000 after buying an additional 11,226 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $309,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 187.2% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 29,392 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,304,000 after buying an additional 19,157 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.4% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,802 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $852,000 after buying an additional 7,120 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock traded down $0.60 on Friday, hitting $64.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,450,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,454,862. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.28 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.82. The company has a market capitalization of $13.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.49 and a beta of 1.48.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group 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.