Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Oppenheimer raised their price target on the stock from $71.00 to $73.00. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group traded as high as $69.74 and last traded at $69.74, with a volume of 20350 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $64.82.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on JEF. UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $16,125,655.20. Following the sale, the president now owns 1,632,277 shares of the company's stock, valued at $106,424,460.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 493,526 shares of company stock valued at $31,703,689. Corporate insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 11.1 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $62.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.77 and a beta of 1.31.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 9.27% and a return on equity of 6.40%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 59.83%.

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.