Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Lowered to “Market Perform” Rating by Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $92.00 to $81.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of JEF stock opened at $59.31 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $68.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.42. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $40.72 and a one year high of $82.68. The stock has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.83 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is an increase from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.