Assetmark Inc. cut its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF – Get Rating) by 98.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 953,106 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 73.4% during the second quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 11,872 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 5,025 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 88,627 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 9,698 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 88,218 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,437,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 181.4% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 3,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $118,000. 66.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:JEF opened at $37.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $36.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.70. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.88 and a 1 year high of $40.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 2.11.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 24th. Investors of record on Monday, February 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 10th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total value of $16,425,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 6,722,213 shares in the company, valued at $220,824,697.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 17.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group to $46.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $37.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 21st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.75.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

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Jefferies Financial Group, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Investment Banking, Capital Markets, and Asset Management, Merchant Banking, and Corporate. The Investment Banking, Capital Markets, and Asset Management segment consists of investments in Jefferies Group.

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