MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC Takes $1.23 Million Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 23,039 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,234,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 346.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 652 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% during the 1st quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 758.1% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 45.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 907 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% in the first 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 in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of JEF opened at $55.85 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $50.55 and its 200-day moving average is $60.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $39.28 and a one year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted 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 6.62%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

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.

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