Oppenheimer Cuts Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $81.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price objective trimmed by Oppenheimer from $82.00 to $81.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $81.00 on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group has a twelve month low of $38.77 and a twelve month high of $82.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $75.55 and its 200 day moving average price 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 company’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,431,026.25. This represents a 31.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of Jefferies Financial Group 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 owns 1,632,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $106,424,460.40. This represents a 13.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JEF. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 14,824 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $912,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 13,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $658,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is currently 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.