Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Purchased by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 40.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 365,906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 104,602 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $28,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during 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 currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $65.52 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.72 and a 52 week high of $82.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $75.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.21. 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 has a market cap of $13.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.99 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.06). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. 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 yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JEF has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.