Equitable Trust Co. Sells 2,835 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Equitable Trust Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 16.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,085 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,835 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.9 %

JEF opened at $73.21 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.31. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.86 and a twelve month high of $82.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released 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). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer decreased their target price 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 shares of 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.

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.