Swiss National Bank Sells 17,700 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Swiss National Bank lowered its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 303,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.15% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $23,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE JEF opened at $57.60 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.50. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 53.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on JEF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th.

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.