Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Stock Purchased by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC more than doubled its Jefferies Financial Group stake in the third quarter, increasing holdings by 108.9% to 74,402 shares valued at approximately $3.4 million.
• Institutional investors own 60.88% of Jefferies’ stock, while several other investment firms also established or increased positions during the quarter.
• Jefferies shares fell 1.9% to $44.79, while the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, yielding 3.6%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $56.86.

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 108.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 38,778 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Wavvest Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $507,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 65,437 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,992,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 86.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,671 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.9%

JEF traded down $0.85 on Friday, reaching $44.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,263,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,540,600. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The company has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.57. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $66.60.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JEF shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $71.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.86.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc NYSE: JEF is a diversified financial services company that operates primarily through its investment banking and capital markets subsidiary, Jefferies LLC. The company provides advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and other corporate transactions, along with equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, research, and prime brokerage services.

Jefferies also manages and invests capital through asset management and merchant banking activities.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.