Trivest Advisors Ltd Takes $14.01 Million Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Trivest Advisors Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 178,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $14,005,000. Trivest Advisors Ltd owned approximately 0.09% of Jefferies Financial Group as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $58.44 on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68. The company has a market cap of $12.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.49. 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 (NYSE:JEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.06). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 63.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on JEF. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd.

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.