KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Raises Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.6% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 31,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. now owns 571,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,246,000 after acquiring an additional 28,929 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,311,000 after acquiring an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $1,344,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:JEF opened at $50.85 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.28 and a 52 week high of $82.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 1.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $62.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.25.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.22. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 7.40%.The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JEF shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $74.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

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.