Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 4,398 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 275,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,398 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $21,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 10.2 %

JEF opened at $43.08 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $63.94 and a 200-day moving average of $69.25. The stock has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.28). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 55.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

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.