Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) is Ervin Investment Management LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Ervin Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,160 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group comprises about 3.0% of Ervin Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Ervin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $4,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of JEF. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,852,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,236,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $130,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406,920 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 100.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,290,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,282,000 after purchasing an additional 646,666 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,126.9% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 587,412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,737,000 after purchasing an additional 539,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 3,272,244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $132,231,000 after purchasing an additional 510,125 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.33.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 5.5 %

JEF traded up $2.51 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $48.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,795,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,032,425. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50-day moving average is $45.26 and its 200-day moving average is $42.75. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.38 and a fifty-two week high of $49.75. The stock has a market cap of $10.29 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08 and a beta of 1.33.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.11. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 5.90%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 35.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $65,250,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 15,314,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total value of $2,546,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 2,591,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,979,505. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 20.40% 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.