Entropy Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP has acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc., purchasing 11,380 shares valued at approximately $610,000.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Jefferies Financial Group, with Sierra Ocean LLC raising their stake by 824.0% in the first quarter.
• Jefferies Financial Group recently reported earnings of $0.40 EPS, falling short of analyst estimates, alongside a declared quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $610,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 110.3% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 267,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,933,000 after buying an additional 140,037 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 15,439 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,210,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $259,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,122,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,030 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JEF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $60.32. 1,297,765 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,818,875. 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 market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.48. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.28 and a 1-year high of $82.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $56.01 and a 200 day moving average of $55.92.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.38%.

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.