U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 44,468 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,486,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 434 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $70,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

JEF stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.29. 1,514,851 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,727,059. The company has a market capitalization of $15.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.27 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $77.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.76. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.58 and a twelve month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The firm's revenue was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 46.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised Jefferies Financial Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a report 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.