Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 63,658 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 149.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 106,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 63,658 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $5,282,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $80,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JEF shares. StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of JEF opened at $61.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.75 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $31.38 and a one year high of $62.98. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.17.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.