Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Given New $73.00 Price Target at Oppenheimer

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Oppenheimer from $71.00 to $73.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of JEF traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $64.83. 903,236 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,229,192. The firm has a market cap of $13.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82 and a beta of 1.31. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12-month low of $33.16 and a 12-month high of $67.79. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $61.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 59.83%.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $16,125,655.20. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 1,632,277 shares of the company's stock, valued at $106,424,460.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $16,125,655.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 1,632,277 shares in the company, valued at $106,424,460.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 493,526 shares of company stock worth $31,703,689 in the last three months. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 365.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,947,192 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,892,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529,218 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $58,211,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 7,049,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $350,799,000 after acquiring an additional 936,424 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $21,148,000. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,396,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $168,998,000 after acquiring an additional 389,385 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.