Fmr LLC Has $202.31 Million Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Fmr LLC grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 782.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,286,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,914,504 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned about 1.60% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $202,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.2 %

JEF stock opened at $78.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.43 and a beta of 1.31. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.07 and a fifty-two week high of $80.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.06 and a 200-day moving average of $58.07.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This represents a 24.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 in the last three months. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on JEF. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the 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.