Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $76.12 and last traded at $75.93, with a volume of 87921 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $74.91.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JEF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $65.47 and a 200 day moving average of $56.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.93 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other Jefferies Financial Group news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mitsui Financial Grou Sumitomo bought 9,247,081 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $59.67 per share, with a total value of $551,773,323.27. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,247,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $551,773,323.27. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,286,923 shares of company stock worth $88,999,151 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.