Ieq Capital LLC Buys Shares of 305,363 Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC purchased 305,363 shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter, worth approximately $15.3 million and representing a 0.16% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 60.88% of the company.
• Jefferies reported quarterly revenue of $2.21 billion, up 35% year over year, but earnings of $1.02 per share fell short of the $1.16 analyst consensus. The company also approved a $250 million stock-repurchase plan.
• Jefferies declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, equivalent to a 3.1% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $62.62.

Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 305,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,262,000. Ieq Capital LLC owned 0.16% of Jefferies Financial Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 95.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Check Capital Management Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,041,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,941,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 32,481 shares during the period. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $897,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $52.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.62 and a beta of 1.54. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.53 and a 1-year high of $71.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.99.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.40 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was up 35.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $62.62.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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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