KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Raises Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,734,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Elequin Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% in the first quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% in the first quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 123.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 87.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter worth approximately $78,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $50.85 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 1.51. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.28 and a 12-month high of $82.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.25.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.75 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 7.40%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on JEF shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $74.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

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.