Simmons Bank Purchases 1,890 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Simmons Bank lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 29.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,317 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,890 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $512,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $202,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 92.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 376,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,608,000 after buying an additional 180,702 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.3% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 410,988 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,129,000 after acquiring an additional 16,909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.9% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 263,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,621,000 after acquiring an additional 14,612 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of JEF stock opened at $74.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 1.31. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.34 and a 52-week high of $75.81. The business’s fifty day moving average is $63.72 and its 200 day moving average is $55.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total transaction of $28,904,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 in the last quarter. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s 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.