LSV Asset Management Sells 266,800 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management reduced its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 35.3%, selling 266,800 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 489,300 shares worth approximately $26.2 million.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.40, missing analysts' expectations, with a net margin of 7.70% and revenue of $1.63 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, providing an annualized yield of 2.9%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 18th.

LSV Asset Management trimmed its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 35.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 489,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 266,800 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned 0.24% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $26,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,520,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 592.8% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 102,186 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,019,000 after acquiring an additional 87,437 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 320,455 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,124,000 after acquiring an additional 42,821 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 110.3% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 267,007 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,933,000 after acquiring an additional 140,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded down $0.23 on Thursday, hitting $57.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 835,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,813,545. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $54.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.59. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $39.28 and a one year high of $82.68. The firm has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.72 and a beta of 1.48.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JEF has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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 Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $66.00.

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.