Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,598,703 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 71,881 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.78% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $98,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total transaction of $2,960,034.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 100,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,431,026.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the business's 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 directly owns 100,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,431,026.25. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 393,397 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were 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. Insiders sold a total of 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 in the last three months. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on JEF. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of JEF traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.50. 1,994,454 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,429,861. The company has a market cap of $14.69 billion, a P/E 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $62.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.68. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.16 and a 52-week high of $72.76.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.