Intech Investment Management LLC Grows Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 612.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 195,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 168,203 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $15,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the fourth 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 during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE JEF opened at $57.60 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $69.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.72 and a 52 week high of $82.68. The company has a market capitalization of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.69%.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.