Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $59.00 to $64.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group traded as high as $62.98 and last traded at $62.78, with a volume of 27604 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $62.07.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $80,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52 and a beta of 1.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $57.37 and its 200-day moving average is $49.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.