Intech Investment Management LLC Invests $3 Million in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 60,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,001,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $80,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.4 %

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $62.07 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.38 and a 1-year high of $62.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $57.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 59.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on JEF shares. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.