Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Shares Sold by Wittenberg Investment Management Inc.

Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. cut its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,437 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,728 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group comprises 0.9% of Wittenberg Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $2,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $48,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $78.58 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.15 billion, a PE ratio of 33.58 and a beta of 1.31. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.26 and a 200-day moving average of $56.91. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $34.34 and a one year high of $78.74.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JEF. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. The trade was a 24.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Company 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.