Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Buys 62,253 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 343.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 80,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,253 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings 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 during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $80,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF opened at $61.08 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.38 and a twelve month high of $62.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.55 billion, a PE ratio of 33.75 and a beta of 1.32.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate 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 dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 through the SEC website. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.