Cwm LLC Raises Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Cwm LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 105.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,099 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $94,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $111,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.33.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total value of $2,546,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 2,591,350 shares in the company, valued at $119,979,505. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,165,525. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $45.75 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.59. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.12 and a 12 month high of $47.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50 and a beta of 1.33. 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 (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 5.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.36%.

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.