ClearAlpha Technologies LP Reduces Stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

ClearAlpha Technologies LP trimmed its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 21.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,760 shares during the quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 141,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,064,000 after buying an additional 132,414 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $726,000. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,718,000. Covenant Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,337,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 89,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,515,000 after buying an additional 28,011 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other 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 shares were purchased at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 393,397 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.17, for a total value of $28,391,461.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 560,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,451,790.19. This trade represents a 41.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $79.14 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.05 and a 52 week high of $80.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.82 and a beta of 1.31.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.