Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,645,844 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,141 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.80% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $129,028,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on JEF shares. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $65.52. 2,070,244 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,662,628. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $75.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.72 and a 12 month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.06). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.69%.

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.