Oppenheimer Issues Positive Forecast for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Stock Price

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price target lifted by Oppenheimer from $73.00 to $83.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

JEF has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:JEF traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $74.08. 591,322 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,265,972. The company has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.56 and a beta of 1.31. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $64.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.45. Jefferies Financial Group has a twelve month low of $34.34 and a twelve month high of $75.81.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.83%.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total transaction of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 24.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

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.