Fisher Asset Management LLC Has $48.06 Million Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 95.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 780,877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 381,893 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.38% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $48,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:JEF opened at $79.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.65 and its 200-day moving average is $57.15. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.34 and a 52-week high of $80.30. The company has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.95 and a beta of 1.31.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value 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. The trade was a 24.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 over the last ninety days. 20.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JEF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

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.