Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Cuts Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lessened its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,978 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,477 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $2,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $286,476,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,396,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $168,998,000 after purchasing an additional 389,385 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 782.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,286,958 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $202,312,000 after buying an additional 2,914,504 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,504,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $154,153,000 after acquiring an additional 167,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,014,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $123,987,000 after purchasing an additional 344,409 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF stock traded up $1.28 during trading on Monday, reaching $75.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,636,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,397,993. The firm has a market cap of $15.56 billion, a PE ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 1.35. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $77.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.01. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.77 and a 52 week high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.97% and a net margin of 10.57%. Jefferies Financial Group's revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.98%.

Insider Activity

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total transaction of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,431,026.25. The trade was a 31.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,086,923 shares of company stock valued at $76,381,151 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised 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 report on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

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.