Xponance Inc. Buys 1,001 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,167 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

JEF opened at $59.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $12.26 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 1.37. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.72 and a 1 year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (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%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 53.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

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.