Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Sells 1,476 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. trimmed its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,476 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $5,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in 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 during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.4 %

JEF opened at $58.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $69.13 and its 200-day moving average is $69.49. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.72 and a 1-year high of $82.68.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.