Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Stock Position Reduced by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 60.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,800 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of JEF. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $314,000. Ervin Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 0.6% in the third quarter. Ervin Investment Management LLC now owns 92,693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,239,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. MBL Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth $280,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on JEF shares. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $71.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.86.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,200,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,330,449. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.89 and a 200 day moving average of $50.66. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.53 and a twelve month high of $66.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 1.54.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.84%.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc (NYSE:JEF) is a diversified financial services company that operates primarily through its investment banking and capital markets subsidiary, Jefferies LLC. The company provides advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and other corporate transactions, along with equity and debt underwriting, securities sales and trading, research, and prime brokerage services.

Jefferies also manages and invests capital through asset management and merchant banking activities.