Morgan Stanley Boosts Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $64.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $59.00 to $64.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.09% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on JEF. Oppenheimer boosted 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 assumed coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. 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 Trading Up 0.0 %

JEF stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $62.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 623,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,185,105. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29 and a beta of 1.32. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1 year low of $31.38 and a 1 year high of $62.98. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.61.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $59.67 per share, for a total transaction of $551,773,323.27. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $551,773,323.27. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position 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 last quarter. United Services Automobile Association increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2.0% in the second 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 during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.9% during the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $836,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 5.0% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.