Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Moerus Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Moerus Capital Management LLC has reduced its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. by 10.3%, now holding a total of 574,253 shares, making it the firm's third-largest holding.
• Despite the cut in holdings, other investors like Teacher Retirement System of Texas and Northern Trust Corp have increased their positions in Jefferies Financial Group, underscoring ongoing interest in the stock.
• Jefferies Financial Group recently reported earnings of $0.40 per share, missing analyst expectations, and has set a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, reflecting a 2.5% dividend yield.

Moerus Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 574,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 65,951 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group comprises about 13.8% of Moerus Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Moerus Capital Management LLC owned 0.28% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $30,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% during the first quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake 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 valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 105.5% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 824.0% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of JEF traded down $1.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.32. 1,297,765 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,369,503. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $12.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.48. The stock's 50-day moving average is $56.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.67. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68.

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 business had revenue of $1.63 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.