Equitable Trust Co. Sells 3,710 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Equitable Trust Co. decreased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 18.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,920 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,710 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $219,000. Americana Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $219,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $407,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $71.50 on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.16 and a 52-week high of $72.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $62.76 and its 200 day moving average is $54.68. The company has a market cap of $14.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.56 and a beta of 1.31.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,971,288 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total transaction of $2,960,034.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,431,026.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock.

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.