Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Takes $1.07 Million Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,645 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,070,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $65.80 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $74.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.32. 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 company has a market cap of $13.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08 and a beta of 1.34. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued 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 company’s revenue was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer decreased 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.

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.