Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Purchased by Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc.

Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 63.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 101,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,704 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group makes up approximately 1.6% of Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc.'s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $5,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 907 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew 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 worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of JEF stock traded down $0.93 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $54.68. 1,413,078 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,696,379. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $52.01 and a 200 day moving average of $59.49. 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 52-week low of $39.28 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The company has a market cap of $11.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63 and a beta of 1.46.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on JEF shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

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.