Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 4.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 4.4 %

JEF stock traded down $2.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $44.10. The company had a trading volume of 3,415,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,033,089. The company has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Jefferies Financial Group has a 52 week low of $28.81 and a 52 week high of $47.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $42.08 and a 200 day moving average of $38.37.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 98.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pitcairn Co. purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. Pearl River Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter worth about $205,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,324 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.67.

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.