Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Acquired by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 18.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,272,244 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 510,125 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group makes up 3.4% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned 1.54% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $132,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JEF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,093.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,829,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $67,031,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676,549 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 100.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,290,810 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,282,000 after purchasing an additional 646,666 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 80.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,265,002 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,337,000 after purchasing an additional 562,810 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,126.9% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 587,412 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $23,737,000 after purchasing an additional 539,534 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $17,037,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE JEF traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $43.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,068,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,068,453. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company's 50-day moving average is $43.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.43. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.81 and a fifty-two week high of $47.39. The stock has a market cap of $9.27 billion, a PE ratio of 35.82 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 4.41%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 98.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $43.33.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

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.