Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Reaches New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $47.39 and last traded at $45.02, with a volume of 245423 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.13.

The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 5.88%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.67.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,435,000. Hosking Partners LLP increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 842,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,877,000 after acquiring an additional 86,898 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 120,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,397,000 after acquiring an additional 25,040 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $7,326,000. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 183.5% in the 3rd quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 15,970 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.02 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $41.98 and a 200 day moving average of $38.33.

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.