Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Stock Holdings Lowered by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 10.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 239,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 27,120 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.12% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $12,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 824.0% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 1,848 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,648 shares in the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 63.9% in the 1st quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 101,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,458,000 after acquiring an additional 39,704 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 8,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. SMART Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter worth approximately $462,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $56.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.23 and a beta of 1.46. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $53.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.20. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.28 and a fifty-two week high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 60.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $66.00.

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.