Private Management Group Inc. Sells 236,785 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Private Management Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 911,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 236,785 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group comprises 2.0% of Private Management Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Private Management Group Inc. owned about 0.44% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $56,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 92.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 376,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,608,000 after acquiring an additional 180,702 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 141,963 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,064,000 after purchasing an additional 132,414 shares during the last quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $2,722,000. Fulton Bank N.A. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $726,000. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 199.1% in the 1st quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 27,541 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,215,000 after buying an additional 18,332 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target for the company.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE JEF traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $64.22. 868,426 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,317,486. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.75 and a fifty-two week high of $67.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $61.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.69.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. Analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total value of $2,960,034.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 100,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,431,026.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares of the company's stock, valued at $38,144,592.54. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 493,526 shares of company stock worth $31,703,689 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.