Boston Common Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 0.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 159,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 236 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $9,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 8,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $346,000. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 21.5% in the third quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,925 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 9.1% in the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 1,275,919 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,533,000 after purchasing an additional 106,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 23.4% during the third quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,660 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $63.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $58.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.32. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.38 and a 1 year high of $64.54.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.46%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 20.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.