First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. Has $4.22 Million Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

First Wilshire Securities Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group comprises 1.1% of First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. First Wilshire Securities Management Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $4,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on 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. Oppenheimer cut Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $53.53 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.50. The stock has a market cap of $11.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.72 and a 12 month high of $82.68.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group’s 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.