<div id="readability-page-1"><p>M&amp;T Bank Corp lowered its stake in  Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 64.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 19,771 shares during the period. M&amp;T Bank Corp's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</p><ul><li>Win-Win Momentum Plays With Strong Dividend Yields</li></ul><p>Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Common Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $4,011,000.  AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of  Jefferies Financial Group by 927.8% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 26,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,701,000 after buying an additional 23,474 shares during the period.  Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in  Jefferies Financial Group by 245.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 651,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,603,000 after purchasing an additional 462,546 shares during the period.  Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in  Jefferies Financial Group by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 147,894 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,848,000 after purchasing an additional 31,288 shares during the period.  Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its position in  Jefferies Financial Group by 284.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 226,770 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,835,000 after purchasing an additional 167,817 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  60.88% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.2%</h2><p>JEF stock opened at $52.32 on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04. The business's 50 day moving average price is $43.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 1.53. </p><ul><li>3 Metal Stocks Setting Up for Double-Digit Growth</li></ul><p>Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.19). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.83% and a net margin of 6.61%.The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.57 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis.  As a group, analysts forecast that  Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio  is 54.05%. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>Zillow’s Earnings Dip: An Opportunity for Visionaries</li></ul><p>A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an &#34;overweight&#34; rating to an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating and set a $49.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings  reaffirmed a &#34;hold (c-)&#34; rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $42.00 and set a &#34;market perform&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned  a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $58.14.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Research Report on JEF</b></p><h2>Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides a range of investment banking, capital markets and asset management services to corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Through its core platform, Jefferies offers advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity underwriting, restructuring and recapitalization. The firm also operates a global sales and trading business covering equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products, complemented by equity research and macroeconomic analysis.  </p><p>In addition to its capital markets franchise, Jefferies maintains a growing asset management division that delivers customized investment solutions across public and private markets.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Jefferies Financial Group</li><li>Before the Moon Base Gets Built, These 4 Companies Win</li><li>Industrial Buybacks: Top Homebuilding Supplier Leads Buyback Increases</li><li>3 Stocks That Win If Inflation Surprises to the Downside</li><li>MercadoLibre Boldly Invests in Growth: Discount Deepens</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 reporting and unbiased coverage. 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 Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>M&T Bank Corp has reduced its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. by 64.6% in Q4, now holding 10,830 shares valued at $671,000. Other investors, including Boston Common Asset Management and Citigroup, have also adjusted their positions. Jefferies Financial Group's stock is currently down 1.2%, with a market cap of $10.70 billion and a P/E ratio of 17.68. The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, yielding 3.1%. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with price targets ranging from $42.00 to $76.00.</p>

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M&T Bank Corp Decreases Stock Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF