Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Stake Cut by GoodHaven Capital Management LLC

GoodHaven Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 439,987 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 9,571 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group accounts for 8.0% of GoodHaven Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. GoodHaven Capital Management LLC owned about 0.21% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $23,570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 161.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 575 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 346.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 652 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 758.1% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 738 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $41.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.75.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $52.45 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $10.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 1.45. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.28 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm's fifty day moving average is $47.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.07.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.36%.

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.

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