Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Sells 27,120 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 10.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 239,887 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 27,120 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.12% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $12,851,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Sierra Ocean LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 824.0% during the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 1,848 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648 shares during the period. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 63.9% during the first quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 101,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,458,000 after acquiring an additional 39,704 shares during the period. Simmons Bank increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.5% during the first quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 8,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. SMART Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $462,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded up $0.83 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $57.00. 1,075,880 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,693,152. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51 and a beta of 1.46. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.28 and a 1-year high of $82.68. The business's 50 day moving average is $53.16 and its 200-day moving average is $57.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 7.70%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.