Jefferies Posts Loss, Seeks Options for Brokerage Unit

Investment bank Jefferies Group LLC, owned by Leucadia National Corp, reported a quarterly loss and said it was exploring strategic alternatives for its futures-brokerage unit.

Net loss attributable to the company was $92.4 million for the fourth quarter ended Nov. 30, compared with a profit of $109.9 million a year earlier, the company said on Tuesday.

Net revenue fell about 43 percent to $537.6 million.

"As a result of the growth and margin challenges we have recently faced in the Bache business we acquired in mid-2011, we are pursuing strategic alternatives for this business, and discussions with third parties in this regard are already underway," Jefferies Chief Executive Richard Handler said in a statement. (Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)