Franklin Resources Inc. Has $21.61 Million Stock Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 275,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,398 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.13% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $21,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Oppenheimer downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 31st.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 10.2 %

NYSE JEF opened at $43.08 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average of $63.94 and a 200-day moving average of $69.25. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.72 and a 1-year high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 55.36%.

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.