SG Americas Securities LLC Lowers Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 83.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,732 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,940 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $32,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $42,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.45. 1,110,271 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,637,076. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.67 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98 and a beta of 1.34. The business's 50-day moving average price is $76.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.54. 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 (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of 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 raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

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.