Intech Investment Management LLC Invests $3 Million in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 60,307 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,001,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of JEF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 88.9% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,113,391 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $269,601,000 after purchasing an additional 2,876,529 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,852,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $58,211,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $21,148,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,707,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $75,298,000 after purchasing an additional 199,662 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $62.24. 348,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,183,216. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $57.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.61. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.38 and a 1 year high of $62.98. The company has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of 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 increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd.

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.