Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Posts Earnings Results

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. 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 4.42% and a net margin of 5.90%. The business’s revenue was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 4.4 %

NYSE:JEF opened at $44.08 on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $28.81 and a 12 month high of $47.39. The business’s 50-day moving average is $42.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.34 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of JEF. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at $53,000. Covington Capital Management grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covington Capital Management now owns 2,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 67.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.67.

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.