Calamos Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Calamos Advisors LLC lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 28.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,091 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 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 worth $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth $42,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.8 %

JEF stock opened at $75.29 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.52 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $77.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.81. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a one year low of $39.58 and a one year high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.