BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 3,877 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 28.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,877 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of JEF. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter valued at $267,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2,392.0% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 58,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,915,000 after purchasing an additional 56,236 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,386.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 141,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,064,000 after purchasing an additional 132,414 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 73,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,652,000 after purchasing an additional 7,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 40,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,495 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 1.3 %

JEF opened at $78.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.24 and a fifty-two week high of $81.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.12 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50-day moving average is $70.37 and its 200 day moving average is $59.61.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.78%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

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.