AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Reduces Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc cut its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 14.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 389,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 67,087 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned 0.19% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $23,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 365.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,947,192 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,892,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,218 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $58,211,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 15.3% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,049,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $350,799,000 after purchasing an additional 936,424 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $21,148,000. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.9% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,396,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $168,998,000 after purchasing an additional 389,385 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of JEF stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.50. 1,994,454 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,429,861. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.16 and a 1 year high of $72.76. The stock has a market cap of $14.69 billion, a PE ratio of 30.56 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $62.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.61.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. Jefferies Financial Group's quarterly revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. Research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 59.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on JEF. UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 393,397 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.17, for a total value of $28,391,461.49. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 560,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,451,790.19. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. 20.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.