Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Issues Earnings Results

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 4.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:JEF opened at $44.10 on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $28.81 and a one year high of $47.39. The stock has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $42.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.37.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.67.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 29,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.7% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 21,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $687,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 0.9% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 48,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 45,919 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,682,000 after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.