Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 36.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,403 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,200 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,287,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $4,623,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 78,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 249.0% in the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 21,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 15,138 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 105.7% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,080,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

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

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF opened at $63.64 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $13.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $58.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.16. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.38 and a 1-year high of $64.11.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 5.37% and a net margin of 7.82%. The firm’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 77.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JEF shares. UBS Group assumed coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th.

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.