Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Hosking Partners LLP

Hosking Partners LLP lowered its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 693,117 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 85,818 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group accounts for approximately 2.1% of Hosking Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Hosking Partners LLP owned 0.34% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $54,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $286,476,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $772,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,504,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $154,153,000 after buying an additional 167,270 shares during the last quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,718,000. Finally, Covenant Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,337,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded down $2.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $63.78. 1,437,662 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,349,209. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.72 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $74.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.60. The firm has a market cap of $13.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 53.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on JEF. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised Jefferies Financial Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

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.