ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC Buys 2,815 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 240,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,815 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group comprises 0.4% of ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $11,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $81,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF traded up $0.84 on Friday, hitting $59.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,293,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,181,971. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $31.38 and a one year high of $59.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.12 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.