Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by EAM Investors LLC

EAM Investors LLC decreased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 36.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 29,006 shares during the period. EAM Investors LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF traded down $2.22 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $40.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 258,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,574,195. The stock has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 1.29. The business's fifty day moving average is $56.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.28 and a 1 year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The firm's revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.94%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 55.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on JEF shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $41.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.