Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.11, Briefing.com reports. The business 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 5.90% and a return on equity of 4.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 EPS.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $44.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $42.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.37. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1 year low of $28.81 and a 1 year high of $47.39.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 98.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 201.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,328,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,350,000 after acquiring an additional 2,223,630 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 44.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,152,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $234,972,000 after purchasing an additional 2,207,065 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,262,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 20,887.5% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,007,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,415,000 after buying an additional 1,002,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 592.6% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 971,338 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,613,000 after buying an additional 831,088 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

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.