Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Boosts Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,520,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,941,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $309,029,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437,179 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $746,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $938,000. Finally, Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $243,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 10.2 %

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $43.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $63.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

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.