AQR Capital Management LLC Has $9.45 Million Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 190,043 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,336 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $9,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,049,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $350,799,000 after buying an additional 936,424 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,232,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $210,591,000 after purchasing an additional 76,327 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.9% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,396,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $168,998,000 after acquiring an additional 389,385 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,168,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $107,925,000 after purchasing an additional 34,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 365.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,947,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,892,000 after buying an additional 1,529,218 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $62.34 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $58.16 and its 200 day moving average is $50.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.81 billion, a PE ratio of 34.44 and a beta of 1.32. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.38 and a 1 year high of $62.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 77.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JEF has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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.