Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC Buys Shares of 7,840 Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Key Points

• Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC has acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group, purchasing 7,840 shares valued at approximately $420,000.
• Jefferies Financial Group's shares are currently rated "Hold" with analysts adjusting target prices; Goldman Sachs raised it to $62.00, while Morgan Stanley lowered it to $54.00.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 60.38%.

Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $420,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JCIC Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% in the 1st quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 87.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 105.5% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded up $1.79 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $63.02. 2,621,302 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,295,004. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $55.80 and a 200-day moving average of $56.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.48.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.