Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 79,516 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,275,117 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 79,516 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.41% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $818,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 135.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,805,897 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $141,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037,785 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $35,122,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 87.8% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 798,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,749,000 after purchasing an additional 373,000 shares in the last quarter. Tran Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $14,814,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $20,144,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.2%

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $60.32. 1,297,765 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,369,503. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.28 and a fifty-two week high of $82.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76 and a beta of 1.48. The firm's 50 day moving average is $56.17 and its 200-day moving average is $55.67.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 2.7%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on JEF. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One investment 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, the stock currently 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.