Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Reaches New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $47.39 and last traded at $45.02, with a volume of 245423 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.13.

The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 5.88% and a return on equity of 3.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 16th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 15th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 249.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 21,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $857,000 after purchasing an additional 15,138 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 78,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 138,492 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,597,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares in the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 247.2% during the 4th quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 19,098 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 13,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 29,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $9.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.02 and a beta of 1.37. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $41.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

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.