Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $63.87 and last traded at $63.81, with a volume of 107746 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $62.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on JEF. 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 report on Friday, September 13th. 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 target price on the stock. 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 research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $13.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.54 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.59.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 5.37% and a net margin of 7.82%. The firm’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.35%.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were purchased 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 owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $80,000. 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.