Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $4.51 Million in Cabot Co. (NYSE:CBT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Cabot Co. (NYSE:CBT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 49,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $4,511,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.09% of Cabot as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Cabot by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,285 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cabot by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 4,072 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cabot by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 18,238 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,665,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Cabot by 37.2% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 808 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Cabot in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. 93.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cabot Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE CBT traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $74.71. The company had a trading volume of 471,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 410,163. Cabot Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.64 and a fifty-two week high of $117.46. The company has a market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $77.60 and its 200 day moving average is $87.35.

Cabot (NYSE:CBT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Cabot had a return on equity of 26.79% and a net margin of 10.60%. The company's revenue was down 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cabot Co. will post 7.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cabot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This is an increase from Cabot's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. Cabot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on CBT shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cabot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Cabot from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Cabot from $93.00 to $83.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th.

About Cabot

Cabot Corporation operates as a specialty chemicals and performance materials company. The company operates through two segments, Reinforcement Materials and Performance Chemicals. It offers reinforcing carbons that are used in tires as a rubber reinforcing agent and performance additive, as well as in industrial products, such as hoses, belts, extruded profiles, and molded goods; and engineered elastomer composites solutions.