Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. Has $31.25 Million Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.3%, owning 571,327 shares valued at approximately $31.25 million, making it the firm's 6th largest position.
• Jefferies Financial Group reported earnings of $1.01 per share for the last quarter, surpassing estimates and demonstrating a 21.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, representing a dividend yield of 2.6% and a payout ratio of 54.98%.

Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 571,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,929 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group makes up about 5.0% of Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.28% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $31,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JEF. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,188 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% during the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Bfsg LLC increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 5,694 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank raised its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 8,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 8,733 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE JEF opened at $61.21 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $63.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.40. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.28 and a 52-week high of $82.68. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03 and a beta of 1.51.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.22. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 7.29%. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 54.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on JEF. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday. They set a "market perform" rating and a $69.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $74.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $72.00.

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.

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