Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 16.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 40,667 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,855 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hemington Wealth Management increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JEF. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $56.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.43. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.72 and a fifty-two week high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The business’s revenue was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.69%.

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.