Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Shares Purchased by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEFFree Report) by 5.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 182,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,264 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $9,143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $834,947,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4,853.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,886,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $444,157,000 after buying an additional 8,707,273 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 422.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,972,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $246,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211,375 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 696.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,412,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $211,460,000 after purchasing an additional 2,984,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $127,242,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:JEF opened at $53.88 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.05 and a beta of 1.52. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $35.53 and a one year high of $71.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.70.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEFGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 9.23%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.40 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JEF. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.25.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on JEF

More Jefferies Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Jefferies Financial Group this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: A Jefferies-linked trade-finance fund obtained an asset-freezing order against Radiant World in Singapore. The legal action could improve recovery prospects on disputed assets and may help limit losses. Jefferies fund wins Singapore asset freeze against Radiant World
  • Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies is reportedly winding down its outsourced fixed-income trading business. The move could reduce operational and counterparty risk, but it may also pressure revenue and raise questions about the company’s strategy in the business. Jefferies to Wind Down Outsourced Fixed-Income Trading Business
  • Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate that LAM Trade Finance Group II had nearly $500 million of exposure to Radiant World, its founder and another entity, based on a London freezing order. Investors are focused on whether the fund is legally and financially separate from JEF or whether the parent could face losses, reputational damage or additional scrutiny. The extent of any direct exposure has not been established. Jefferies linked fund faces reported Radiant exposure

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc (NYSE:JEF) is a diversified financial services company that provides investment banking, capital markets, asset management and wealth management services. Its principal operating business, Jefferies, advises companies, governments and institutional investors on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, restructuring and other strategic transactions.

Through its investment banking and securities operations, Jefferies offers equity and fixed-income underwriting, sales and trading, research, prime brokerage and related services.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JEF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEFFree Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF)

Receive News & Ratings for Jefferies Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Jefferies Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.