Park Avenue Securities LLC Trims Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lessened its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 25.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,559 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded up $0.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $53.60. The stock had a trading volume of 2,418,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,681,006. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The company has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $47.96 and its 200 day moving average is $62.76.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid 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 yield of 2.99%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is 55.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.