Custom Index Systems LLC Buys 7,021 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Custom Index Systems LLC grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 71.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,021 shares during the quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 15.3% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,049,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $350,799,000 after purchasing an additional 936,424 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,232,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $210,591,000 after buying an additional 76,327 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,396,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $168,998,000 after buying an additional 389,385 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,168,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $107,925,000 after acquiring an additional 34,295 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 365.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,947,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,892,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,218 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $64.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,073,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,237,774. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.99. The company has a market cap of $13.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.37 and a beta of 1.32. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.38 and a fifty-two week high of $67.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought 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 owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group 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 completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by 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.