Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Sets New 52-Week High at $62.98

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $62.98 and last traded at $62.78, with a volume of 27604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.61. The firm has a market cap of $12.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29 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.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. Jefferies Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. This is an increase from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 77.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at $551,773,323.27. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 20.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew 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 purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 13,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $658,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.0% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.