Pacer Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 70.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 31,996 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 29,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,583,000 after acquiring an additional 8,229 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,582,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $124,035,000 after purchasing an additional 232,237 shares in the last quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,467,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 18.5% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $262,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

JEF stock opened at $57.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.77 and a beta of 1.46. The firm's fifty day moving average is $54.05 and its 200 day moving average is $57.06. 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 quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.