Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Issues Earnings Results

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 5.88%. The company’s revenue was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 EPS.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $46.13 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.94 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.98 and a 200-day moving average of $38.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $28.81 and a fifty-two week high of $46.25.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 109.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 201.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,328,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,350,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223,630 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,152,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $234,972,000 after purchasing an additional 2,207,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,262,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 20,887.5% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,007,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,415,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 592.6% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 971,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,613,000 after purchasing an additional 831,088 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.