Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 58,065 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,587,779 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 58,065 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.77% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $85,057,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JEF. JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 907 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 105.5% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $56.90 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $51.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.89. The company has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.28 and a twelve month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.62% and a net margin of 7.70%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 60.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, June 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.

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