<div id="readability-page-1"><p>HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,861 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $565,000.</p><ul><li>Win-Win Momentum Plays With Strong Dividend Yields</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group by 159.1% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,988,746 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $469,518,000 after acquiring an additional 3,677,233 shares in the last quarter.  Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. acquired a new stake in  Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $286,476,000.  JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. grew its stake in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. now owns 3,941,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $309,029,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437,179 shares during the period.  Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,014,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $123,987,000 after buying an additional 344,409 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,645,844 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $129,028,000 after buying an additional 47,141 shares during the period. Institutional investors own  60.88% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>JEF has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group  set a $75.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;sell&#34; rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an &#34;outperform&#34; rating to a &#34;market perform&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.</p><ul><li>3 Metal Stocks Setting Up for Double-Digit Growth</li></ul><p><b>Read Our Latest Research Report on JEF</b></p><h2>Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $55.24 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.16 and a 200-day moving average of $69.40. The firm has a market cap of $11.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 1.37. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.72 and a twelve month high of $82.68. </p><ul><li>Zillow’s Earnings Dip: An Opportunity for Visionaries</li></ul><p>Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.28). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis.  On average, equities research analysts predict that  Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend</h2><p>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 given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 55.36%. </p><h2>About Jefferies Financial Group</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Jefferies Financial Group</li><li>Options Trading - Understanding  Strike Price</li><li>Homebuilders in Freefall: Bargain Opportunity or Falling Knife?</li><li>Low PE Growth Stocks: Unlocking Investment Opportunities</li><li>The 3 Most Talked About Investments on WallStreetBets Right Now</li><li>A Deeper Look at Bid-Ask Spreads</li><li>Analyst Targets Signal More Growth in CrowdStrike Stock</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JEF?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUpFRg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUpFRg"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Jefferies Financial Group Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Jefferies Financial Group, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Jefferies Financial Group wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Jefferies Financial Group currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>HighPoint Advisor Group LLC has acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF), purchasing 7,861 shares valued at approximately $565,000. Other institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Jefferies, with Alliancebernstein L.P. boosting its position by 159.1%. Jefferies reported earnings of $0.60 per share, missing estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40, yielding 2.90%. The company's stock has a market cap of $11.39 billion and a PE ratio of 18.54.</p>

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Buys New Holdings in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)