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

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $64.79 and last traded at $64.65, with a volume of 75033 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $64.24.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley upped 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 report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective 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.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 1.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.54.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its 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). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 9.27%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 42.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo purchased 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo acquired 9,247,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $80,000. 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.