Intech Investment Management LLC Cuts Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 54.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 32,840 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,386.7% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 141,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,064,000 after buying an additional 132,414 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $726,000. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $1,718,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2.7% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 299,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,422,000 after buying an additional 7,889 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,534.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 120,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,386,000 after buying an additional 112,666 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $79.48 on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.34 and a 12-month high of $80.30. The stock has a market cap of $16.33 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.65 and a 200 day moving average of $57.15.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total transaction of $2,960,034.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,431,026.25. This represents a 31.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

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.