Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Purchases 14,650 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 813.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,650 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $56.42 on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.72 and a 52 week high of $82.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.36. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 53.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reduced their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday.

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.