Renaissance Technologies LLC Invests $3.08 Million in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 61,889 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,080,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised 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 purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $61.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $57.88 and a 200 day moving average of $50.38. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.38 and a 12 month high of $62.98.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 20.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JEF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st.

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.