Pinebridge Investments L.P. Purchases 13,449 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 42.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,959 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,449 shares during the quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P.'s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $47.35. The stock had a trading volume of 204,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,577,913. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 1.29. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.28 and a 1-year high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $52.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.59.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.28). The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 55.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.