Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stock Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 423,033 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 27,228 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.21% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $33,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 0.7 %

JEF traded down $0.43 on Tuesday, hitting $61.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,436,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,427,070. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $67.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.58. 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. The company has a market cap of $12.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72 and a beta of 1.37.

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Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is currently 53.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on JEF shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

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.