Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Given New $83.00 Price Target at Oppenheimer

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price target increased by Oppenheimer from $73.00 to $83.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group began coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $74.20 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $64.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1-year low of $34.34 and a 1-year high of $75.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.71 and a beta of 1.31.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 59.83%.

Insider Activity at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. The trade was a 24.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert D. Beyer sold 46,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 100,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,431,026.25. The trade was a 31.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth $48,000. 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.