KBC Group NV Decreases Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 109,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 673 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $8,592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $70,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.5 %

JEF opened at $75.88 on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $39.58 and a one year high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.10.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.97% and a net margin of 10.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JEF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 393,397 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.17, for a total value of $28,391,461.49. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 560,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,451,790.19. This trade represents a 41.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.