Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Mackenzie Financial Corp decreased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 25.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,679 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $111,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $149,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.0 %

JEF opened at $44.58 on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $28.81 and a one year high of $47.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $43.04 and its 200-day moving average is $39.21. The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.54 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 5.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 98.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,314,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $666,165,525. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on JEF. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.33.

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.