Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $82.09 and last traded at $81.83, with a volume of 141213 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $81.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.6 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.18 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $75.55 and its 200-day moving average is $63.88.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.07, for a total value of $2,960,034.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,431,026.25. This trade represents a 31.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $12,618,000.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. Corporate 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 bought and sold shares of JEF. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth $286,476,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 782.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,286,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $202,312,000 after purchasing an additional 2,914,504 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 365.9% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,947,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,892,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,218 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake 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 worth $168,998,000 after purchasing an additional 389,385 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 780,877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,063,000 after purchasing an additional 381,893 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.