Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) is Moerus Capital Management LLC’s Largest Position

Moerus Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 34.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 640,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 343,084 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group accounts for 18.3% of Moerus Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Moerus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.31% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $50,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its stake 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,844 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JEF has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of JEF opened at $43.08 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.29. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.72 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $63.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.19.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.28). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.36%.

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.