Stifel Financial Corp Sells 22,203 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Stifel Financial Corp reduced its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 68.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 22,203 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $630,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $78.59 on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.77 and a 52-week high of $82.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $73.62 and its 200 day moving average is $62.05. The company has a market cap of $16.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59 and a beta of 1.35.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $16,125,655.20. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,632,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $106,424,460.40. This represents a 13.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock.

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.